Kohli slammed 77 off 49 balls with 11 fours and two sixes against PBKS.
Chasing 177 to win, Kohli slammed 77 off 49 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. After his dismissal, Dinesh Karthik (28* off 10) and Mahipal Lomror (17* off 8) stepped up and provided the finishing touch, taking RCB over the line with four deliveries to spare.
Following the win, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis hailed Virat Kohli’s knock, highlighting the significance of his presence on that particular playing surface.
"Virat was important on that pitch. He is still enjoying himself, very passionate about playing cricket. Fresh and motivated to do well," Du Plessis said at the post-match presentation.
"(I was calm) On the outside, not as much on the inside. Early in the competition you want to make sure you get over the line. Felt we were in the position to do that sooner. With the new Impact Player rule, we knew we had Mahipal Lomror coming in - has a lot of power. Now with the extra batter you feel like even 14-15 rpo is gettable," he added.
The RCB skipper was also effusive in praise of Dinesh Karthik for the latter’s stunning cameo to seal the deal.
"Really pleased for him. I said it the other night - really important for him to get his IPL going with confidence."
Earlier, PBKS posted 176/6 on the board after being invited to bat first, led by skipper Shikhar Dhawan's 45 off 37 balls and useful contributions by Jitesh Sharma (27 in 20 balls) and Sam Curran (23 in 17 balls).
In their run-chase, RCB kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Kohli, Karthik and Mahipal’s brilliance shone through for the franchise.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday (March 29).
(With ANI Inputs)