Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed back to the top of the IPL 2026 points table after a commanding six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-scoring clash on Wednesday. The night belonged to Virat Kohli, who returned to form in spectacular fashion with an unbeaten century that once again underlined his mastery in run chases.
Virat Kohli ends lean patch with historic IPL hundred
After scores of 0, 1 and 9 in his previous three outings, Kohli looked determined from the very beginning. He got off the mark with a single in the opening over and celebrated with a roar, before quickly taking control of the chase.
The RCB opener remained unbeaten on 105 off just 60 balls, smashing 11 fours and three sixes in a flawless innings. It was Kohli’s ninth IPL hundred, the most by any batter in tournament history – and also his first century since IPL 2023.
The knock also helped him become the first Indian batter to complete 14,000 runs in T20 cricket. In addition, Kohli overtook MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma for the most IPL appearances, playing his 279th match in the league.
RCB dominate chase despite early wickets
Chasing 193, RCB finished at 194/4 in 19.1 overs and rarely looked under pressure during the pursuit.
Kohli came out aggressively against Vaibhav Arora in the opening over, hitting four boundaries and setting the tone immediately. Jacob Bethell also attacked early, smashing two fours and a six off Dubey in the third over to keep the required run rate under control.
However, Bethell’s promising cameo ended quickly when Kartik Tyagi surprised him with a sharp short ball. The England batter tried to pull but only managed an edge that lobbed back to the bowler.
KKR had a chance to dismiss Kohli shortly after, but Rovman Powell dropped a difficult catch at extra cover. The missed opportunity proved costly as Kohli settled deeper into the innings.
Kohli and Padikkal break KKR’s momentum
Devdutt Padikkal played the perfect supporting role with a composed 39 as he stitched together a 92-run stand with Kohli for the second wicket.
The pair never looked rushed and rotated strike smartly while punishing loose deliveries. KKR’s fielding struggles continued when Vaibhav Arora dropped Padikkal during the partnership.
Padikkal eventually fell to Tyagi after mistiming another short ball, while Ajinkya Rahane held onto the catch after some juggling.
Rahane later produced another dramatic effort to dismiss Rajat Patidar, using his body to prevent the ball from touching the ground after a leading edge.
But KKR’s hopes disappeared quickly as Kohli accelerated again, hitting a six and a boundary off Anukul Roy before bringing up his century in style.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi shines in KKR innings
Earlier, young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi starred for KKR with a brilliant 71 off 46 balls, guiding his side to 192/4.
The innings included seven fours and three sixes, with Raghuvanshi showing confidence throughout against both pace and spin.
KKR had a mixed start after losing early wickets. Finn Allen began aggressively with a quickfire 18, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed him with a delivery that moved away late.
Rahane also looked in good touch before Josh Hazlewood dismissed the KKR captain with a sharp short ball.
With KKR at 56/2 after the powerplay, Raghuvanshi rebuilt the innings smartly. He added 68 runs with Cameron Green, who scored 32, before sharing another crucial partnership with Rinku Singh.
Raghuvanshi impressed with elegant strokeplay on both sides of the wicket. His short-arm pull off Jacob Duffy and a clean six off Krunal Pandya stood out among several classy shots.
Rinku provided the late push with an unbeaten 49 off 29 balls, narrowly missing out on a half-century as KKR finished strongly. But Kohli’s brilliance eventually ensured that the total was not enough on the night.
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