Virat Kohli’s Magnificent Century Powers RCB to Thrilling Win Over KKR

Raipur, May 2026 : Virat Kohli turned back the clock with a magnificent unbeaten century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets in a high-scoring Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday. The victory helped RCB reclaim the top spot on the IPL points table while ending KKR’s impressive four-match unbeaten streak.

Chasing a challenging target of 193, Kohli delivered a masterclass in controlled aggression and composure, remaining unbeaten on 105 off just 60 balls. His innings, decorated with 11 boundaries and three sixes, came at a strike rate of 175 and marked his ninth IPL century and 10th overall in T20 cricket.

Despite a rain delay of 75 minutes before the start of the match, Kohli’s brilliance lit up the evening and left the Raipur crowd roaring with excitement as RCB completed the chase with five balls to spare.

RCB’s pursuit began cautiously, with debutant pacer Saurabh Dubey conceding only two runs in the opening over. However, Kohli quickly shifted gears in the second over when Vaibhav Arora struggled with his line and length. The former RCB captain punished him with four boundaries, including elegant flicks through the leg side and a fierce cut shot.

Young opener Jacob Bethell also looked positive during his brief stay. He struck a six and two boundaries before being dismissed by Kartik Tyagi, who completed a sharp caught-and-bowled chance.

Unfazed by the early wicket, Kohli continued to dominate the KKR attack with confidence and precision. He pulled Tyagi for a huge six and survived a major scare when Rovman Powell dropped him at cover.

Devdutt Padikkal then joined Kohli in an important partnership that steadied and accelerated the innings simultaneously. The left-hander played fluently and found regular boundaries against both the pacers and spinners. Together, Kohli and Padikkal stitched a valuable 92-run stand for the second wicket that firmly shifted the momentum in RCB’s favour.

Kohli reached his half-century in just 32 deliveries and continued to manipulate the field with ease. Most of his scoring came through the leg side, where his trademark wristwork repeatedly pierced gaps and frustrated the bowlers.

Padikkal contributed an important 39 before Kartik Tyagi broke the partnership with a clever off-cutter. Rajat Patidar entered aggressively and hit a six but struggled after being struck on the helmet. He was eventually dismissed by Sunil Narine.

Even as wickets fell at the other end, Kohli maintained complete control of the chase. His timing remained flawless, and he accelerated brilliantly in the closing overs. One of the highlights of the innings was a towering six off Tyagi that took him into the nineties.

Kohli eventually brought up his century with a single off Vaibhav Arora in the 19th over. The packed crowd rose to applaud the batting superstar, who acknowledged the milestone with a calm raise of the bat.

Though Tim David departed cheaply late in the innings, there was no panic in the RCB camp. Needing just three runs in the final over, Jitesh Sharma sealed the victory in style by pulling Saurabh Dubey for a boundary.

Earlier, KKR had posted a competitive 192/4 after being put in to bat on a surface where a few deliveries stayed low. Young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a brilliant innings of 71 off 46 balls, striking seven fours and three sixes. He anchored the innings beautifully and shared key partnerships with Cameron Green and Rinku Singh.

Cameron Green added 32 runs, while Rinku Singh provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 49 off 29 deliveries, including three fours and two sixes. Raghuvanshi and Rinku stitched together a 76-run stand that lifted KKR beyond the 190-mark.

KKR lost opener Finn Allen early after Bhuvneshwar Kumar forced an outside edge to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma. Ajinkya Rahane looked dangerous for his 19 before mistiming a shot off Josh Hazlewood.

Raghuvanshi then took charge with elegant strokeplay and reached his fourth half-century of the season in just 32 balls, becoming the youngest KKR batter to register four fifty-plus scores in a single IPL edition.

However, despite the solid total, KKR’s bowlers failed to contain Kohli and RCB’s powerful batting unit. Kartik Tyagi was the most successful bowler with figures of 3/32, while Narine picked up one wicket.

Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 192/4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 71, Rinku Singh 49 not out, Cameron Green 32; Josh Hazlewood 1/35, Rasikh Salam Dar 1/35) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 194/4 in 19.1 overs (Virat Kohli 105 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 39; Kartik Tyagi 3/32, Sunil Narine 1/31) by six wickets.

Team Maverick.