Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 57th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - CommentaryRCB vs KKR, 57th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - Commentary

The defending champions jump to the top of the points table with this clinical chase, courtesy King Kohli's unbeaten hundred. They've got to 16 points but still haven't got a 'Q'. Make no mistake, the defending champions will eye a top-two finish. KKR's 4-match winning streak has ended and their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Even if they win their remaining games, they can only get to 15 points. On that note, it's time to bring the curtains down on this contest. Until next time, it's goodbye from Abhinand Raghavendran, Akshay Maanay, Nikhil Jadhav and Mukesh.

Most PoTM awards in IPL (Indian)
21 - Virat Kohli*
21 - Rohit Sharma
18 - MS Dhoni
17 - Ravindra Jadeja
17 - KL Rahul
16 - Yusuf Pathan

Kohli (2/2): (What pleased you the most?) Well, just my positions at the crease, you know, not trying to do anything extravagant, just backing my game, hitting a lot of fours, hitting gaps, being clear as to where I wanted to hit sixes, which length I wanted to hit sixes from, and just staying in the game, like running a lot of twos, hitting the boundaries where needed, picking length, hitting the gaps that I know I can hit. So I was happy for the fact that I was able to back my game and execute the shots that I usually execute to the best of my ability. And that gets me the most consistent, the most risk-free cricket, keeping the demands of the situation always in front of me and the team's need always at the top of my head. So all these factors were very pleasing for me out there. (On breaking records) Well, I just love batting, even after all this. You know, that's my core feeling. Look, what an honour to be playing at this level. What an honour to be competing with the very best in the world still. This is all I've done all my life. Cricket is absolutely something that I truly love. And I just give my heart and soul out there on the field, whether I'm fielding or batting, because it's going to finish one day. And I want to make the most of every day that I'm on the field and just enjoy myself and have a lot of fun and look forward to a pressure situation, look forward to scenarios where I'm feeling a bit of heat. And then I challenge myself to say, you know what, just go for it. And when you cross the line, it makes you a better player. And sport, as you know, teaches you a lot as a person as well. So you build your character slowly and surely when you keep performing under pressure. And for me, even after all these years and numbers and whatever you said, it's still the love for the game. I just love hitting the ball in the middle of the bat. And that joy is still there. And it's all God's grace. And I'm very thankful and grateful.

Virat Kohli | PotM (1/2): (On his 9th IPL ton) Well, the celebration wasn't a big one because we know the importance of the points right now. And yeah, look, for me, it's a conscious effort to try and contribute to the team's scores. And I know if I bat for long enough in the game, our chances of winning become higher. So the fact that I didn't get many runs in the last two games was, it eats me up in a way that I know I can play well and I'm hitting the ball well. But then when you don't carry on and you know, you haven't created the impact for the team, it bothers you because that's basically been the goal all these years, trying to improve so that you can be the best version for your team when you play out there and make an impact. So, yeah, century or no century, I think the more important thing is finishing the game, making sure that I was out there till the end to get those two points, which again, puts us at the top of the table. (Any pressure?) Well, there's a reason why people say pressure is a privilege. It actually keeps you humble, keeps you focused, makes you work hard at practice again. You can't take things for granted. Butterflies in the stomach, good pressure always helps you to improve your game. So I was in the nets working harder. Training harder, you tend to, when you're playing well, you can tend to kind of taper off a little bit with your intensity and focus. But I think a couple of games that don't go your way, you start feeling a bit of nervousness again. It helps you to go out there and work on your game and back yourself even more, which takes a lot of effort out of you. But then I think you go a level up as a player and then you keep improving your game little by little. And at the end of the day, when you look back, those failures are so important because they put you back into the place that gets you the performances in the first place and it doesn't let you go off your intense best. So I think that's why people say pressure is a privilege. And of course, I was nervous. I just wanted to get off the mark and just celebrate and have a bit of fun there.

Rajat Patidar | RCB captain: (How's the head?) It's okay. I'm okay. It was a proper head shot (laughs). (What does that mean to you guys being top of the table now?) Of course, it feels great. You know, you've play well in the tournament and I think everyone came in the different stage and doing [well] for the team. I think that's a great sign. And being at the top of the table, it's always a good thing. Good for the team. And as I said, we are taking just one game at a time, one step at a time. (How satisfied were you at the halfway mark?) Very much satisfied, I would say, because after 10 overs, the way we controlled their innings, because after 10 overs, before 10 overs, I think they were, when it [run-rate] was around 10-11. So from there, I think we restricted them on 194 or something. It's a good sign for us. (Do you see that as a combination for another couple of games to come?) No, definitely it was, I would say it was for the conditions. So because last game we played on the same track and there was a variable bounce and two-paced wicket. So that's why we played four seamers. (On Kohli) I think it's a great one. I think, I don't know words, but I think he's used to doing great things. (How well are you set up to close out the league stage?) As I said, we have played good cricket, two more league games and we are just doing one game at a time. And as we know, from here we are travelling to Dharamshala. It's a good track, good batting track. So we will try our best to win that game and then Hyderabad. (Status on Salt) I don't know, but I think he will come soon.

Multiple 100s against two different teams in IPL
2 - Jos Buttler vs KKR, RCB
2 - Virat Kohli vs GL, KKR

Highest successful chases for RCB in IPL
228 vs LSG, Lucknow, 2025 – Kohli 54(30)
206 vs GT, Bengaluru, 2026 – Kohli 81(44)
204 vs KXIP, Bengaluru, 2010 – Kohli 16*(12)
202 vs SRH, Bengaluru, 2026 – Kohli 69*(38)
201 vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2024 – Kohli 70*(44)
193 vs KKR, Raipur, 2026 – Kohli 105*(60)

– The previous highest for RCB against KKR was 184 runs at Eden Gardens in 2016.

Most runs against an opponent in IPL
1174 - Virat Kohli vs CSK
1172 - Virat Kohli vs DC
1161 - Rohit Sharma vs KKR
1159 - Virat Kohli vs PBKS
1134 - David Warner vs PBKS
1126 - Virat Kohli vs KKR*

Most hundreds in chases in IPL
3 - Jos Buttler
3 - Virat Kohli*
2 - Ben Stokes

Centuries for RCB vs KKR in IPL
102* (55) - Chris Gayle, Kolkata, 2011
100 (58) - Virat Kohli, Kolkata, 2019
105* (60) - Virat Kohli, Raipur, 2026

Devdutt Padikkal: (Another good win for you boys tonight?) Yeah, definitely. It was an important game for us. We wanted to make sure that we keep putting pressure on the rest of the sides and I'm glad that we did that today. (About his good form) Yeah, it's been going good. I think it's important that I keep this momentum going and keep contributing to the side. And as long as I'm doing that, I'm happy. (About Kohli's knock) Yeah, like I have said many times, it's incredible to bat alongside him. He does this so often. If you wake him up any time of the day, he's going to come and do that in a run chase. So it was really great to see some exquisite shots and obviously, just watching and learning. (Does Virat get nervous?) I don't think so because like at this point, I don't think he needs to be nervous. He's done this so many times. He's scored so many runs. You saw he got his 14,000th run today. So I don't think that requires any nervousness. (RCB need to keep up this momentum?) Yeah, of course. We want to finish in that top two spots and we are looking to do that and hopefully we continue to win games and that momentum will carry us through to the playoffs.

Ajinkya Rahane | KKR captain: I mean, we thought 190 was actually a competitive total on that wicket. The batters who batted in the middle, those middle overs, they thought it was a very good total. You can always say that after the game, 10-15 runs here and there, but I thought it was a very good effort by the batters. Last 3-4 games, throughout the tournament, our fielding was really good. While defending the total, catch of Virat Kohli sometimes, you know, you want to hang on to one of the catch because this wicket was slightly tricky, not an easy wicket to a new batter. That was the difference, I felt, but overall I thought it was a good score, a challenging score on this wicket. (The new ball did come on to the bat nicely, didn't it?) Yes, I mean, first six overs, we knew that it was going to be easy, but after that, I mean, throughout the tournament, last five games, our spinners bowled really well. Those middle overs really, actually, took wickets as well. But as I said, credit goes to Virat Kohli and that partnership of him and Devdutt Padikkal, that was the moment for them. (About the dropped catches) Yes, and I mean, Virat, we all know that while chasing the total, he is a dangerous player. Anyway, he's a dangerous player, but Devdutt Padikkal, he's batting really well in this tournament. So, taking those catches, that's what really helped us in the last four matches. But these things have happened. The guys are working really hard, but you can drop catches. That's okay. (About Kartik Tyagi) He's been really good for us, working really hard. What I like about him is the clear mindset, what he wants to execute while bowling. And that's a really great sign.

00:20 Local Time, 18:50 GMT: The start of the game was delayed by 75 minutes due to rain, the Raipur crowd waited patiently and they were treated to something special. A brilliant hundred from the chase-master. Coming into this match on the back of two successive ducks, Kohli did a fist pump after getting off the mark off his first ball in the first over. He hit 4 fours off Vaibhav Arora in the following over. Powell put down a tough chance when Kohli was on 21 and that proved to be very expensive. The RCB opener failed to put a foot wrong post that. Got to his fifty off 32 balls, forged a match-winning 92-run stand with Padikkal and then played some unbelievable shots to record his 9th IPL hundred. It was clearly visible that he enjoyed this knock. He even did a little jig while nearing the milestone. Saurabh Dubey bowled a superb first over and troubled Bethell, Kartik Taygi once again impressed with a 3-for, Narine was economical but the other bowlers were below-par and the fielding was sloppy (two dropped catches and a lot of misfields). Stay tuned for the post-match stuff.

Just 3 needed off the final over