Kohli’s masterclass seals RCB win, pushes KKR to brink of elimination

Virat Kohli answered every critic in the most emphatic way possible with a sensational unbeaten century against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday. After consecutive ducks and mounting criticism from fans and former cricketers, the RCB superstar delivered a captain’s knock under pressure. His brilliant innings guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a six-wicket win and pushed Kolkata to the verge of IPL elimination.

Raghuvanshi and Rinku rescue KKR after early collapse

Asked to bat first in the rain-affected encounter, KKR suffered early setbacks as Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen failed to convert their starts. With the team under pressure, Angkrish Raghuvanshi once again stepped up with a mature innings. The youngster stitched together a crucial 68-run partnership with Cameron Green, who played a useful knock of 32 from 24 balls before being dismissed by Rasikh Salam.

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Raghuvanshi continued to dominate the RCB bowlers and brought up another impressive half-century. Rinku Singh then joined the charge as the pair added 76 runs at a rapid pace. Raghuvanshi narrowly missed out on a bigger score after getting dismissed on the final ball of the innings for 71 off 46 deliveries, including seven boundaries and three sixes. Rinku remained unbeaten on 49 from 29 balls as KKR finished with a competitive 192 for 4.

Kohli’s century powers RCB to the top

RCB’s chase revolved entirely around Virat Kohli. After Jacob Bethell departed early, Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal took complete control with a 92-run partnership. Padikkal contributed 39 runs before falling, but Kohli continued his masterclass at the other end.

The former RCB captain reached his half-century in 32 balls before shifting gears effortlessly. In the 19th over, Kohli completed his century with a boundary off Vaibhav Arora and eventually remained unbeaten on 105 from just 60 deliveries, smashing 11 fours and three sixes.

The innings helped Kohli register his ninth IPL century and 10th overall in T20 cricket. He also crossed the landmark of 14,000 T20 runs as RCB chased down the target with five balls remaining and climbed to the top of the points table.