Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed to the top of the IPL 2026 standings after a convincing victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur, powered by a magnificent unbeaten century from Virat Kohli. After registering ducks in his previous two innings, Kohli responded in trademark fashion with a composed 105 from just 60 deliveries, steering RCB to victory with five balls remaining.
The chase reflected Kohli at his absolute best. He controlled the innings from start to finish, rotated the strike brilliantly, and punished loose deliveries with elegance rather than aggression. His knock included several beautifully timed boundaries along with eight doubles, showing the sharp running and game awareness that have defined his career.
Earlier in the evening, Kolkata posted 192 for 4 after being asked to bat first. RCB’s pace attack played a major role in restricting what initially looked like a total that could comfortably cross 200. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Jacob Duffy combined effectively on a surface offering slight seam movement and uneven bounce following a rain delay.
Bhuvneshwar struck first by removing Finn Allen, while Hazlewood dismissed Ajinkya Rahane with a sharp short ball. Despite those setbacks, young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi continued his impressive season with a fluent 57 from 35 balls. Alongside Cameron Green, he rebuilt the innings with a 68 run partnership before Rinku Singh provided late momentum with several powerful hits.
At 153 for 3 after 16 overs, KKR appeared set for a massive finish. However, RCB’s death bowling proved outstanding. Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, and Rasikh Salam executed yorkers consistently and allowed only 39 runs in the final four overs, preventing Kolkata from fully capitalising.
KKR briefly found hope through debutant Saurabh Dubey, who produced an impressive opening over filled with movement and accuracy. Yet RCB quickly seized control. Jacob Bethell attacked aggressively before Devdutt Padikkal added valuable boundaries to maintain momentum.
Once Kohli settled, Bengaluru rarely looked under pressure. Even though KKR picked up a few wickets through Kartik Tyagi and Sunil Narine, the required rate stayed comfortably within reach. Kohli accelerated near the finish with two stunning sixes before bringing up his ninth IPL hundred in the 19th over.
Jitesh Sharma completed the chase moments later as RCB secured another major victory in their impressive campaign.
