RCB Hits No.1 After Kohli's Historic 9th IPL Century

Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium witnessed cricketing magic on Wednesday as Virat Kohli notched his ninth IPL century, guiding RCB to a six-wicket triumph over KKR in IPL 2026's 57th fixture. The win catapults RCB to the points table pinnacle, intensifying the race for playoff spots. Opting to field, RCB restricted KKR to 192/4. Early blows saw Allen (18) and Rahane (19) back in the hut at 48/2. Enter Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who rebuilt with Green's 32 (24 balls, 3x4, 1x6) in a 68-run stand. Raghuvanshi's 71 (46 balls, 7x4, 3x6) was complemented by Rinku's unbeaten 49 (29 balls, 3x4, 2x6), their 76-run alliance pushing KKR to a challenging total. RCB's bowlers—Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, and Dar—each snared a scalp. RCB's pursuit began brightly with Bethell and Kohli's 37-run opening stand. Kohli's masterclass unfolded alongside Padikkal's 39 (27 balls, 7x4), yielding 92 runs. Post Padikkal, quick cameos from Patidar (11) and David (2) bridged gaps, but Kohli's unbeaten 105 (60 balls, 11x4, 3x6) was the game-changer, his ninth ton arriving in style. KKR's Tyagi impressed with three wickets, Narine one, but RCB crossed the line in 19.1 overs. Kohli's knock reaffirms his IPL legacy, blending aggression and precision. As RCB claims top spot, questions swirl: Can they sustain this momentum into the knockouts? The league phase promises more drama.