Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 73 off 54 balls as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by seven wickets in Mullanpur. Chasing a target of 158, RCB comfortably reached the total in 18.5 overs. Once again, Kohli demonstrated his class in a run chase—something he’s been known for across formats throughout his career. His consistency and calmness under pressure continue to make him one of the most reliable chasers in the game.
His match-winning performance earned him the Player of the Match award. After eight matches this season, Kohli has now scored 322 runs at an average of 64.40, including four half-centuries. With this knock, he moves up to third place in the Orange Cap standings. Earlier, RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first. Their bowlers executed the plan brilliantly, especially during the middle overs and at the death, restricting PBKS to 157/6 in 20 overs.
In response, RCB lost Phil Salt early. But Devdutt Padikkal then joined Kohli at the crease and the duo stitched together a crucial 103-run partnership off just 69 balls. Padikkal played the aggressor’s role, hammering 61 runs off 35 deliveries, laced with five fours and four sixes, striking at 174.29. Kohli, on the other hand, anchored the innings, guiding RCB to a composed and clinical win.
“We got the team we wanted.” – Virat Kohli
During the post-match presentation, Kohli spoke about the significance of the victory and the balance within the team: “Very important game for us. When you go from eight [points] to ten, it makes a massive difference. We’ve set ourselves up nicely… Dev can play around me, maybe Rajat can play around me. There’s always a temptation to keep going the same way. First two games we had learnings, and last game was a shortened game. We know in a run chase in T20 cricket, one partnership is enough. If need be, I can accelerate. A very good auction for us. We got the team we wanted. They knew exactly whom they wanted… It’s coming together nicely. That was missing in all the other seasons. You can see that intensity and feistyness.”
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