Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 16 points from 12 matches after a memorable night on Wednesday (May 13)
in Raipur that belonged almost entirely to Virat Kohli.
The match itself began 75 minutes late due to persistent rain, but the crowd that waited patiently at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium eventually witnessed one of the finest knocks of the IPL season.
Coming into the game after back-to-back ducks, Kohli produced a statement innings under pressure, smashing an unbeaten 105 and guiding RCB towards another massive chase victory against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The night eventually became a celebration of records, milestones and another reminder of why Kohli remains arguably the greatest chase batter T20 cricket has ever seen.
Kohli Responds Like Only Kohli Can
The signs were visible from the opening over itself. After suffering consecutive ducks before this match, Kohli celebrated simply getting off the mark with a fierce fist pump - a rare emotional reaction that perhaps reflected the pressure surrounding him.
What followed after that moment was vintage Kohli. He attacked Vaibhav Arora brutally in the second over, smashing four boundaries and immediately shifting momentum in RCB's favour.
A difficult chance was later spilled by Rovman Powell when Kohli was batting on 21, and KKR paid heavily for the mistake.
Once the RCB opener settled in, there were virtually no errors, apart from the early reprieve he got as Rovman Powell dropped a tough one. He reached his fifty off just 32 deliveries before completely taking over the chase through the middle overs.
The innings eventually transformed into another historic century - Kohli's record-extending ninth IPL hundred and one of the defining knocks of IPL 2026.
Kohli Climbs Elite T20 Hundred List
The hundred against KKR also pushed Kohli further up the all-time T20 century charts.
| Player | T20 Hundreds |
|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | 22 |
| Babar Azam | 13 |
| David Warner | 10 |
| Virat Kohli | 10 |
| Rilee Rossouw | 9 |
| Sahibzada Farhan | 9 |
| Quinton de Kock | 9 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 9 |
Kohli now sits level with David Warner on 10 T20 centuries and continues closing in on Babar Azam's tally of 13.
More importantly, the hundred once again highlighted Kohli's incredible adaptability across eras of T20 cricket.
The King of IPL Hundreds
Kohli also extended his lead on the all-time IPL centuries list.
| Player | IPL Hundreds |
|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 9 |
| Jos Buttler | 7 |
| Chris Gayle | 6 |
| KL Rahul | 6 |
| Sanju Samson | 5 |
This latest century was Kohli's third IPL hundred in a successful run chase and his second against KKR. The innings also reinforced a growing trend - Kohli's remarkable dominance against Kolkata in recent seasons.
His last five IPL scores against KKR now read 54, 83 not out, 18, 59 not out and now 105 not out.
Fastest Batter to 14,000 T20 Runs
The Raipur masterclass became even more historic because Kohli also became the fastest batter in history to complete 14,000 T20 runs during the innings.
| Player | Innings Taken |
|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 409 |
| Chris Gayle | 423 |
| David Warner | 431 |
| Jos Buttler | 468 |
| Alex Hales | 505 |
| Kieron Pollard | 633 |
The record perhaps best captures Kohli's greatness in T20 cricket.
While several batters have produced explosive peaks in franchise cricket, very few have maintained elite consistency across nearly 15 years of T20 cricket the way Kohli has.
Padikkal-Kohli Combination Becoming RCB's Biggest Strength
Another major takeaway from the match was the continued success of the Kohli-Devdutt Padikkal partnership.
The duo stitched together another crucial stand worth 92 runs, continuing what has quietly become one of the most productive batting partnerships of IPL 2026.
Their partnership scores this season now read 101, 45, 57, 115, 51 not out, 1, 0 and 92.
Collectively, Kohli and Padikkal have now scored 462 runs together this season at an average of 66.0 and a run-rate of 11.4.
The balance between Kohli's control and Padikkal's aggression has given RCB a level of batting stability they often lacked in previous seasons.
RCB Peaking at the Right Time
Beyond the individual records, perhaps the biggest significance of the result was what it meant for RCB's campaign.
The victory lifted Bengaluru to the top of the points table with 16 points in 12 matches, placing them in a commanding position heading towards the playoffs.
More importantly, the side suddenly appears balanced across departments.
Their batting has found consistency, the top order looks settled and Kohli once again appears to be entering that dangerous phase of the tournament where he tends to dominate opposition attacks relentlessly.
And if Raipur was any indication, IPL 2026 may once again be heading towards another chapter in the Virat Kohli story.
