Kohli's 9th IPL Century Powers RCB to #1

After back-to-back ducks in his last two innings, Virat Kohli showed in the most emphatic fashion possible that he was merely out of runs and not out of form. His unbeaten 105 off 60 balls — laced with 11 fours and 3 sixes — was a vintage chase masterclass that took Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the top of the IPL 2026 points table after the rain-delayed Match 57 at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium.

The win — RCB's third in their last four matches in Raipur — was a controlled, almost serene chase of 193. Kohli, having slipped to 13th on the Orange Cap list after two ducks, returned to the upper rungs of cricket history with his ninth IPL century, his first since 2023, and 14,000+ career T20 runs at the fastest pace in history.

🏏 KKR Innings: 192/4 (20 overs)

After a 75-minute rain delay, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane lost the toss and was put in to bat. The Knight Riders opened brightly, with debutant left-arm seamer Saurabh Dubey — drafted in for Varun Chakaravarthy — given a baptism of fire on his IPL debut. Angkrish Raghuvanshi in particular punished him, going 6, 4, 4 in his third over and finishing with a 32-ball fifty.

However, RCB's seamers refused to let the innings spiral. Bhuvneshwar Kumar nipped one away to dismiss Finn Allen, and Josh Hazlewood produced a sharp short-of-length ball to have Rahane caught-and-bowled off a miscued pull. With Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green building a 50-stand, KKR looked set for 210+ — but Rasikh Salam Dar dismissed Green with a length ball that skidded through, and the innings lost momentum.

KKR ended at 192/4 — competitive on a slightly two-paced Raipur surface but probably 15-20 runs short of what they had threatened. They lost only 4 wickets but couldn't accelerate as planned in the back half.

👑 Kohli's Masterclass: 105* off 60 balls

The chase of 193 was, by Kohli's standards, almost routine. Jacob Bethell took toll of debutant Saurabh Dubey early — going 6, 4, 4 in the third over — to set the tone. Bethell fell to a Kartik Tyagi short ball after the powerplay, but RCB were already 66/1 in 6, with Kohli on 30 off 14.

From there, Kohli simply ticked off the runs. He hit eight twos — the joint third-most in any IPL innings of his — and found boundaries whenever the required rate threatened to creep. Devdutt Padikkal (39 off 27) gave him excellent company, and even after Padikkal and Patidar both fell to Tyagi, RCB never lost control.

Kohli reached his hundred in 58 balls, sealing it with a single off Vaibhav Arora in the 19th over. Jitesh Sharma finished the game three balls later, flat-batting Dubey past long-on for a four — RCB home with 5 balls to spare.

⭐ Key Moments

• Catch of the Season — Manish Pandey Manish Pandey flies to his left to take a one-handed worldie off Tim David. The ball was almost behind him when he flung out his left hand. Could be IPL Catch of the Season.
• Over 3 — Bethell launches Dubey Jacob Bethell takes IPL debutant Saurabh Dubey for 6-4-4 in successive balls. RCB powerplay platform set.
• Kohli's swivel-pull six off Tyagi Kohli pulls Kartik Tyagi for six in the sixth over to end the powerplay at 30 off 14. The shot looked like the Kohli of old.
• The ton — single off Arora, 19th over Kohli reached 100 with a nudge to long-on. Quiet celebration, removed helmet, looked to the sky. 58-ball century.
• Patidar concussion test Patidar took a Tyagi short ball flush on the back of the helmet but passed concussion protocols. Continued and finished his cameo.

🔥 Kohli's Historic Milestones

• 9th IPL century — most by any player in IPL history
• First Indian to 10 T20 international centuries (across formats)
• Fastest ever to 14,000 career T20 runs
• First IPL century since 2023 — ends two-year drought
• This after consecutive ducks — IPL Match 50 (Prince Yadav) and Match 53

📊 Points Table Impact

The win takes RCB to 16 points from 12 matches — level with Gujarat Titans, but with a vastly superior NRR (+1.103 vs +0.551). With two games remaining and the best NRR in the tournament, RCB are now odds-on for a top-2 finish.

📊 FULL POINTS TABLE →

🔮 What's Next?

RCB next travel to Dharamshala — a good batting track they should fancy. Then a final league game in Delhi. Two wins, and they almost certainly finish #1, giving them Qualifier 1 + a possible second chance to reach the May 31 Final at Ahmedabad.

For KKR, the loss likely ends their playoff hopes. They drop to 8th with 9 points and would need a near-miracle of remaining results to push into top 4. The defending champions of two seasons ago might now be playing for pride.

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