Best IPL season ever
IPL 2016 gave us Kohli scoring 973 runs, the greatest final in history, and a record-shattering run rate across the tournament.
Kohli 2016: 973 runs at avg 81.0 and SR 152.0
IPL 2016 average runs per match: 340 (highest ever)
IPL 2016 final: RCB vs SRH — 6-run thriller after 200+ totals
Multiple IPL seasons stake a claim — 2008 for the birth, 2019 for the last-ball drama, 2023 for the farewell season of legends. But IPL 2016 stands alone on the data.
The individual peak was unprecedented: Virat Kohli scored 973 runs in a single season at an average of 81.0 and a strike rate of 152.0. He hit 4 centuries — a record that still stands — and was the first player to cross 900 runs in a single IPL campaign. The consistency was almost algorithmic: he scored 30+ in 13 of 16 innings.
The tournament-wide quality was equally extraordinary. The average runs per match hit 340, the highest in IPL history. This wasn't just flat pitches — the bowling was elite too, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking 23 wickets and Mustafizur Rahman's cutters becoming a cultural phenomenon. The balance between bat and ball produced close finishes in 61% of matches, versus the tournament average of 48%.
The final — RCB vs SRH at the Chinnaswamy — was a fitting conclusion. Both teams posted 200+ in what many consider the greatest IPL final ever played. Ben Cutting's 39 off 15 balls swung the match dramatically. The atmosphere, the stakes, the quality — nothing in IPL history has matched the complete package of IPL 2016.
Challenge your friends with the data.