Virat Kohli returned to form with his ninth IPL century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets in their IPL 2026 match in Raipur on Wednesday. Chasing 193, RCB reached the target with five balls remaining, powered by Kohli’s unbeaten 105 off 60 balls.Coming into the match after two successive ducks, Kohli looked in control from the beginning. He celebrated with a fist pump after getting off the mark and quickly shifted gears by hitting four boundaries in a single over off Vaibhav Arora. He attacked both pace and spin through the innings and ensured the required rate stayed under control throughout the chase.Kohli reached his fifty off 32 balls and shared a key 92-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal, who made 39 off 27 balls with seven fours. Kohli later brought up his century with a single off Arora, registering his ninth IPL hundred, the most by any batter in the tournament’s history. Jos Buttler is second on the list with seven centuries.Most IPL hundreds
- 9 – Virat Kohli*
- 7 – Jos Buttler
- 6 – Chris Gayle
- 6 – KL Rahul
- 5 – Sanju Samson
The win lifted RCB to the top of the points table, moving above Gujarat Titans. There were celebrations in the RCB camp after the finish as the side saw their senior batter return to form in a crucial game.The match had started 75 minutes late because of rain and a wet outfield, but the Raipur crowd stayed back and witnessed a high-scoring contest.Earlier, Angkrish Raghuvanshi played the best innings of his IPL career to guide KKR to 192 for four. Batting at No.3, the 21-year-old scored 71 off 46 balls with seven fours and three sixes. It was his fourth half-century of the season.KKR had a shaky start after being asked to bat first. Ajinkya Rahane managed only 19, while Finn Allen scored 18 off eight balls before Bhuvneshwar Kumar had him caught behind. Josh Hazlewood then dismissed Rahane with a short ball after the KKR captain had attacked Jacob Duffy in the previous over.At 56 for two after the powerplay, Raghuvanshi rebuilt the innings. He added 68 runs with Cameron Green, who scored 32 off 24 balls, and then stitched a 76-run stand with Rinku Singh.Raghuvanshi mixed caution with aggressive strokeplay. He struck boundaries regularly on the off-side, played a powerful short-arm pull off Duffy and hit Krunal Pandya for a six over the ropes. He also smashed a slower delivery from Rasikh Salam straight back over the bowler’s head. His innings ended with a run-out on the last ball of the innings.Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 49 off 29 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes. He missed his fifty by one run but helped KKR finish strongly.Brief Scores:Kolkata Knight Riders: 192 for 4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 71, Cameron Green 32, Rinku Singh 49; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/34).Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 194 for 4 in 19.1 overs (Virat Kohli 105 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 39; Kartik Tyagi 3/32).
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