Raipur, May 13: Virat Kohli‘s remarkable century propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a convincing six-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 57th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Wednesday. With this win, RCB has climbed to the top of the points table.
Batting first after losing the toss at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, KKR managed to score 192 runs for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 overs. The team lost both their openers, Finn Allen (18) and captain Ajinkya Rahane (19), with the score at 48.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi then formed a strong partnership with Cameron Green, adding 68 runs for the third wicket in just 46 balls. Cameron scored 32 runs off 24 balls, hitting one six and three fours before returning to the pavilion. Angkrish continued to build the innings with Rinku Singh, adding 76 runs for the fourth wicket in 46 balls, propelling KKR to a formidable total.
Rinku remained unbeaten on 49 runs off 29 balls, hitting two sixes and three fours, while Angkrish scored 71 runs off 46 balls, including three sixes and seven fours. From the opposition, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Rasikh Salam Dar each took one wicket.
Chasing a challenging target, RCB secured the match in 19.1 overs. The opening pair of Jacob Bethel and Virat Kohli provided a solid start, scoring 37 runs in 20 balls. Kohli then partnered with Devdutt Padikkal, adding 92 runs in 59 balls.
Padikkal scored 39 runs off 27 balls with seven fours before getting out. Kohli continued to lead the charge, forming partnerships with captain Rajat Patidar (11) and Tim David (2) to bring the team closer to victory.
After the fall of these wickets, Kohli took charge, completing his 9th IPL century in 58 balls. He remained unbeaten at 105 runs off 60 balls, hitting three sixes and eleven fours. KKR’s Kartik Tyagi was the standout bowler, taking three wickets, while Sunil Narine claimed one.