Royal Challengers Bengaluru extended their commanding run in IPL 2026 with a five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Lucknow, put in to bat first, were restricted to 146 all out, with Rasikh Dar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar doing the damage by claiming four and three wickets respectively. In reply, the defending champions reached the target in just 15.1 overs, driven by Virat Kohli’s 49 off 34 balls despite nursing an injury, as RCB secured a major leap up the points table.
RCB’s climb in the standings
The victory over LSG propelled RCB to the top of the table, pushing them past Rajasthan Royals. RCB now sit first with four wins from five matches and a Net Run Rate of +1.503. Rajasthan are second, still on eight points, but with a lower NRR of +0.0889. Lucknow, meanwhile, have slipped to seventh place after registering three losses in their five matches so far.
Chase shape at Chinnaswamy
A pitch that behaved a touch slower than expected at Chinnaswamy turned out to be a less straightforward test for batters than many had anticipated. Even so, once Kohli and captain Rajat Patidar got themselves set and started timing the ball, the home side steadily reduced the required rate and completed the chase comfortably well inside the half-century of overs.
- RCB began the pursuit with Kohli striking fluently as they handled the early phase well after Phil Salt’s dismissal.
- Kohli brought momentum with boundaries early, including a stretch where he struck four fours in a Prince Yadav over.
- Devdutt Padikkal joined the attack and added 57 runs for the second wicket, providing a solid platform before his dismissal—he made 10 in the process of getting out.
- Kohli, despite battling an injury, continued to look dangerous and holed out to Avesh Khan’s bowling, with Nicholas Pooran taking the catch at long-on; Kohli finished with 49 off 34 balls.
- Patidar kept the pressure on through a series of big hits, finding the boundary twice in consecutive overs off Mohammed Shami and once more off Prince.
- As the target shrank quickly, Patidar and Jitesh Sharma both departed during the finishing stretch, but RCB had already done enough to seal the points.
By the end, RCB’s controlled batting and timely acceleration meant Lucknow’s total of 146 was never truly under threat—Bengaluru crossed the line in 15.1 overs to confirm a crucial win and reinforce their position at the summit of the IPL 2026 standings.
