Virat Kohli's unbeaten 105 helped RCB chase down the target of 193 runs against KKR.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their IPL 2026 clash in Raipur on Wednesday (May 13).
Invited to bat first, KKR posted a competitive 192/4 in their 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi led the charge with a career-best 71 off 46 balls, supported by Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 49 off 29 balls.
RCB comfortably chased down the 193-run target, finishing at 194/4 in 19.1 overs on the back of Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 105 off 60 balls. Devdutt Padikkal also chipped in with a vital knock of 27-ball 39 and shared a match-defining 92-run partnership for the second wicket with Kohli.
Reflecting on the loss, KKR skipper Ajinkya acknowledged the impact of dropping Kohli and Padikkal’s catches. He noted that Kohli remains a dangerous batter in a chase, and also praised Padikkal for his strong form in the tournament.
While Kohli was dropped by Rovman Powell off Kartik Tyagi's bowling, Vaibhav Arora put down a sitter of Padikkal off Cameron Green.
“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,” Rahane said at the post-match presentation.
“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,” he explained.
Rahane also singled out KKR pacer Tyagi for his positive attitude and clear mindset, saying his execution and commitment with the ball have been encouraging signs for the team.
"He's been really good for us, working really hard. What I like about him is his clear mindset, what he wants to execute while bowling. And that's a really great sign," the captain stated.
Ajinkya Rahane deemed their 192-run total competitive on the Raipur pitch, praising the efforts of KKR’s middle-order batters.
“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,” he remarked.