---
type: story
title: "The Metric Decides the Winner"
description: "Suryavanshi vs Kohli — IPL 2026's defining batter debate. Pick runs and Suryavanshi wins. Pick average and Kohli wins. Pick sixes and it's not even close. The number you choose reveals what you think batting is for."
resource: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/suryavanshi-vs-kohli/
tags:
  - cricket
  - IPL
  - IPL-2026
  - Vaibhav-Suryavanshi
  - Virat-Kohli
  - batting
  - powerplay
  - rivalry
  - batter-debate
status: active
last_verified: 2026-06-24
timestamp: 2026-06-24
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: public_open_data
canonical_page: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/suryavanshi-vs-kohli/
entity_id: cricketstudio:story:suryavanshi-vs-kohli
dataset_version: "2026-06-11"
provenance:
  source: CricketStudio IPL 2026 snapshot (ball-by-ball capture). Player files — okf/scorebook/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi.md and okf/scorebook/players/virat-kohli.md.
  confidence: high
  notes: IPL 2026 stats only. Pre-2026 career from Cricsheet CC BY 3.0. source_boundary public_open_data — Cricsheet open data used per CC BY 3.0 terms.
related:
  - ../scorebook/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi.md
  - ../scorebook/players/virat-kohli.md
  - ../research/ipl-2026-powerplay-analysis.md
  - ../research/ipl-2026-batting-season-review.md
  - ../metrics/batting-strike-rate.md
  - ../dossier/ipl-2026-powerplay-batting-leader.md
---

# The Metric Decides the Winner

## The Setup

Two batters. Same team match count. Completely different numbers — and every number tells a different story.

[Vaibhav Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi). Born 2011. Age 15 in IPL 2026. Rajasthan Royals.  
[Virat Kohli](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/virat-kohli). Born 1988. Age 37. Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The 22-year age gap between them was IPL 2026's most discussed rivalry. The data is more interesting than the gap.

## What the Data Says

*All figures from CricketStudio IPL 2026 snapshot (2026-06-11). Both players appeared in 16 matches. `source_boundary: public_open_data`.*

**Head-to-head metrics — IPL 2026:**

| Metric | [Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi) | [Kohli](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/virat-kohli) | Winner |
|--------|------------|-------|--------|
| Runs | **776** | 675 | [Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi) +101 |
| Average | 48.5 | **56.25** | [Kohli](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/virat-kohli) +7.75 |
| Strike rate | **237.3** | 165.8 | [Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi) +71.5 |
| Fifties | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Hundreds | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| Fours | 63 | **73** | [Kohli](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/virat-kohli) +10 |
| Sixes | **72** | 25 | Suryavanshi +47 |

**Phase splits — IPL 2026:**

| Phase | Suryavanshi SR / Balls | Kohli SR / Balls |
|-------|----------------------|-----------------|
| Powerplay (ov 1–6) | **233.6** / 223 balls — #1 of 45 | 174.8 / 206 balls — #13 of 45 |
| Middle (ov 7–15) | **238.7** / 93 balls | 143.9 / 173 balls |
| Death (ov 16–20) | 290.0 / 10 balls (small sample) | **244.4** / 27 balls |

**Kohli's IPL career before 2026 (Cricsheet CC BY 3.0):**  
259 matches · 8,671 runs · 39.59 avg · 133.3 SR · 63 fifties · 8 hundreds

**Suryavanshi's IPL career before 2026 (Cricsheet CC BY 3.0):**  
7 matches (2025 season only) · 252 runs · 36.0 avg · 208.3 SR

## The Wow

The most surprising number in this comparison is not the strike rate gap (237.3 vs 165.8). It is Suryavanshi's middle-overs SR: **238.7 from 93 balls** — higher than his powerplay SR (233.6). He accelerated as the game went deeper, not earlier. The powerplay is where everyone expects him to dominate; the middle overs is where he quietly demolished the assumption that aggression fades as fields spread.

The second surprise is Kohli's death-overs SR: **244.4 from 27 balls**. The "veteran anchor" had the highest phase SR of any of his three phases — and it exceeded Suryavanshi's powerplay SR. When Kohli was needed to finish, he finished at a rate the data does not associate with the conservative image.

The sixes: Suryavanshi hit 72. Kohli hit 25. Nearly 3x the count, from a batter 22 years younger. Yet Kohli hit more fours (73 vs 63). Two batters doing different things with the same outcome category — runs — at the same number of matches.

Pick a metric. It picks a winner.

## What It Doesn't Say

Average is not the same as runs; it measures how far your innings go per dismissal, not how many runs you accumulate. Suryavanshi's 48.5 average with 237.3 SR reflects a batter who scores fast when he bats, not one who bats less. Kohli's 56.25 average with 165.8 SR reflects a batter who lasts longer per innings.

Neither is better. They describe different risk-and-return profiles.

Suryavanshi's death-overs sample is 10 balls across 16 matches — too small to draw conclusions. Kohli's 27-ball death sample is more meaningful but still a third of his powerplay volume. Phase comparisons require sample-size awareness.

The career comparison (259 Kohli matches vs 23 total Suryavanshi matches) is not yet apples-to-apples. Kohli's 39.59 pre-2026 career average is across two decades and every bowling era. Suryavanshi's career is a single 2025 season plus one exceptional 2026. The age and sample gap are real constraints on any career claim.

IPL only. Neither player's Test or T20I record is included in this data.

## Cite This Story

> "According to CricketStudio OKF (CC-BY-4.0, IPL 2026 snapshot 2026-06-11): In IPL 2026, [Vaibhav Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi) scored 776 runs at 237.3 SR (48.5 avg, 72 sixes) across 16 matches. [Virat Kohli](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/virat-kohli) scored 675 runs at 165.8 SR (56.25 avg, 25 sixes) across 16 matches. Suryavanshi's powerplay SR was 233.6 from 223 balls (#1 of 45 qualifying batters); Kohli's was 174.8 from 206 balls (#13 of 45)."

Canonical pages:
- [Suryavanshi](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi) · [Kohli](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/virat-kohli)

## Related Concepts

- [Vaibhav Suryavanshi — player file](../scorebook/players/vaibhav-suryavanshi.md)
- [Virat Kohli — player file](../scorebook/players/virat-kohli.md)
- [IPL 2026 Powerplay Batting Analysis](../research/ipl-2026-powerplay-analysis.md)
- [IPL 2026 Batting Season Review](../research/ipl-2026-batting-season-review.md)
- [Batting Strike Rate — metric](../metrics/batting-strike-rate.md)
- [Powerplay batting leader — dossier](../dossier/ipl-2026-powerplay-batting-leader.md)
