Virat Kohli IPL Salary 2008-2026: Year-wise earnings, total income & contracts

Virat Kohli’s foray into the IPL started way back at the inaugural auction in 2008. Having led India to the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2008, Kohli was included in the U19 draft for the auction. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bid for the teenager and got him on board for INR 20 lakhs.

Virat had a fairly ordinary season with the bat in hand. The right-handed batter aggregated 165 runs with a best of 38. His runs came at an average of 15.00 and a strike rate of 105.09.

RCB also had a season to forget. They finished seventh on the points table with eight points in 14 matches after four wins and as many as 10 losses. Deccan Chargers finished at the bottom of the table.

Virat holds the record for being one of the very few players who have only played for a single franchise in their respective playing careers.Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Sachin Tendulkar and Jasprit Bumrah are among those who have represented only a single franchise in the IPL.

Virat also had the honour of leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He led the team a whopping 143 times, with 66 wins, 70 losses, three tied encounters and four no results. He had a win percentage of 46.15 and a loss percentage of 48.95.

After he couldn’t get the team the silverware, Virat stepped down as captain at the end of the 2023 season. His eagerly anticipated moment turned into reality when RCB won the title by beating Punjab Kings in the final of IPL 2025 by six runs.

Also Check: MS Dhoni IPL Salary

Please note that this is based on officially available data, exact figures may vary.