Kohli's ninth IPL ton powers RCB back to the top

Virat Kohli bounced back from ducks in his previous two innings to score a record-extending ninth IPL hundred – and a third while chasing – as RCB clinically reeled in KKR's 192 to complete a perfect 2-0 run in Raipur. The six-wicket win, sealed with five balls to spare, lifted the defending champions back to the top of the table on Net Run Rate and to 16 points – a mark no team has failed to convert into a playoff spot in a 10-team IPL season. The defeat snapped KKR's four-match winning streak and left them staring at a maximum possible tally of 15 points even if they win their remaining three home games.

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 192/4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 71, Rinku Singh 49*; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-34) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 194/4 in 19.1 overs (Virat Kohli 105*, Devdutt Padikkal 39; Kartik Tyagi 3-32) by six wickets.

Bhuvneshwar wins the battle against Finn Allen

Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field, a call shaped by how two-paced the Raipur pitch had played. Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Finn Allen (18 off 8) for his 13th Powerplay wicket of the season, inducing an edge after finding seam movement away. Even so, KKR's openers collected 10 boundaries in the first six overs.

Raghuvanshi takes charge with IPL personal best

Raghuvanshi's class shone through with his ability to delay bat swing and play late. After Rahane fell to a Josh Hazlewood short ball, Raghuvanshi put on 68 off 46 with Cameron Green. KKR managed only 51 in the final five overs as Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood bowled stubbornly, conceding just one boundary in each of the last four overs. Rinku Singh relied on running hard, collecting seven twos. Raghuvanshi was run out off the last ball attempting a second run.

Kohli celebrates his first run

Kohli's first run of the innings was met with an animated fist pump – his first run since April 30. After a tidy first over from debutant Saurabh Dubey, Kohli cracked four boundaries in an over off Vaibhav Arora. He survived a chance on 21 when Rovman Powell spilled a tough catch at cover, and by the end of the Powerplay had raced to 30 off 14.

Kohli-Padikkal duet carries on

Kohli and Padikkal ensured RCB stayed ahead of the run-rate. Padikkal received a reprieve when Arora put down a sitter at deep square leg. The absence of Varun CV (injured) left KKR without cutting edge through the middle, with Anukul Roy and Cam Green going for 43 from four overs. The pair put on 92 off 59.

Any chance for KKR at all?

Not really, when Kohli was in chasing mood. After Padikkal fell, RCB needed 64 off 41. Rajat Patidar looked at sea against the short ball, but Kohli kept finding boundaries with surgical precision. He pulled Anukul Roy for four and chipped straight over the bowler's head for six. He reached his hundred off the 58th ball, ticked off 14,000 T20 runs (fastest to the mark), and walked off unbeaten.

RCB head to Dharamsala to face PBKS on Sunday. KKR return home to face Gujarat Titans on Saturday.