Kohli’s masterful knock powers Royal Challengers to the top

A wristy flick past mid-on off his second ball, and all the doubts about Virat Kohli’s lack of runs vanished into thin air.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru veteran, who was dismissed for nought in the last two encounters, stamped his class at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday (May 13, 2026). His calculated unbeaten 105 helped the side overhaul the Kolkata Knight Riders’ 192 for four with five balls to spare.

The pursuit began with fluency despite the early dismissal of Jacob Bethell, who was caught and bowled after pulling a shot into his helmet.

Kohli’s positive start at the other end rubbed off on Devdutt Padikkal as the southpaw struck two consecutive boundaries. The Knight Riders did not help their case with two dropped catches. Kohli’s fierce slap through covers burst through the fingers of Rovman Powell, while Vaibhav Arora was guilty of dropping a dolly, offered by Padikkal, at deep square leg.

The duo’s 92-run association ended when the No. 3 batter carved one straight to skipper Ajinkya Rahane at cover. But the break in momentum made no difference to Kohli, who pressed on the accelerator to get to his ninth IPL century and seal RCB’s eighth win.

Earlier, after KKR was asked to bat first on a pitch that was under covers for a considerable period, openers Rahane and Finn Allen fell after brisk starts. Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Allen with a length ball that cramped him for room and forced an edge to the wicketkeeper. Rahane was undone by a Josh Hazlewood bouncer that skidded through.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi managed to keep the runs flowing with boundaries through the leg-side as Cameron Green settled in.

The acceleration came after the introduction of the lone spinner, Krunal Pandya, with the duo collecting two towering sixes over midwicket. But Green was castled by Rasikh Salam after a 68-run partnership.

Raghuvanshi looked largely untroubled en route to a 32-ball half-century, his fourth of the season. The right-hander’s sporadic hits to the fence, combined with Rinku Singh’s proactive knock, ensured KKR got to a respectable total, but it proved inadequate once Kohli marked his guard.