IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets

Virat Kohli could hardly have scripted a more memorable night for his landmark IPL appearance as he smashed a sparkling century to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets in Raipur. The evening was already special for Kohli, who earlier became the most capped player in IPL history after going past the legendary MS Dhoni.

As if that was not enough, Kohli added another glittering milestone by surpassing Chris Gayle to become the fastest batter to 14,000 T20 runs before sealing a dream night with a breathtaking 58-ball century. Coming into the game on the back of successive ducks, Kohli could hardly have asked for a better return to form.

Kohli survived an early scare when Rovman Powell dropped him on 21, and the missed chance proved hugely costly for KKR. The RCB talisman went on to produce a sensational unbeaten 105 off 60 balls, steering his side to a successful chase of 193 with five balls to spare. The victory lifted RCB to the top of the table and moved them a step closer to sealing a playoff berth.

For the Knight Riders, however, the defeat leaves them in a difficult spot heading into their final three league games. Ajinkya Rahane’s men had arrived on the back of



four successive wins and looked to be gathering momentum at the perfect time, but Kohli’s brilliance has now left them needing something special to keep their playoff hopes alive.

KKR’s struggles in the field only added to their frustration. After Rovman Powell put down Kohli, Vaibhav Arora grassed another opportunity when he dropped Padikkal off Cameron Green’s bowling. Although Manish Pandey produced a stunning catch to dismiss Tim David, the Knight Riders had already hurt themselves badly with their sloppy fielding earlier in the chase.

Rajat Patidar endured a mixed evening. The RCB skipper impressed tactically in the field but had a difficult outing with the bat after taking a nasty blow on the helmet from Tyagi. He managed only 11 before being dismissed by Sunil Narine. Padikkal departed for a fluent 39, leaving Kohli to take charge of the chase and guide RCB home.

In the penultimate over, Kohli brought up his century with a single off Vaibhav Arora to cap off a memorable comeback knock. KKR sorely missed the injured Varun Chakravarthy as Kohli continued to dictate terms against the rest of the attack. Jitesh Sharma eventually sealed the chase in style, drilling Dubey through long-on for a scorching boundary.