Virat Kohli wrapped up his day in the IPL 2026 with a brief but notable meeting on the field, crossing paths with Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka after the match on Wednesday. The encounter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, ended with Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivering a decisive performance, cruising to a five-wicket win over LSG. RCB restricted the visitors to 146 runs, bowling them out with Rajat Patidar’s side then reaching the target in 15.1 overs. Kohli was the key in the chase, making 49 runs and helping his team steady the innings before closing out the result with 29 balls remaining. After the final delivery, Kohli and Goenka shared a moment on the ground, with the interaction drawing attention as two major names in Indian cricket and franchise sport acknowledged one another post-match.
The match also highlighted the blend of experience and youth that powered RCB’s control at different stages. While pacers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided the early pressure, Rasikh Salam Dar’s energetic spell gave the bowling unit an additional edge as RCB outclassed Lucknow by five wickets.
RCB’s pursuit of 147 did not begin as smoothly as it might have, but the conditions at Chinnaswamy were slightly slower than many expected beforehand, which made the chase feel more challenging than the numbers suggested. Still, once Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar settled in, the home side methodically chipped away at the target and brought it down with plenty of time to spare.
Kohli’s innings stood out for its tempo and intent during the early phase. He struck at a healthy pace from the start of the run chase as RCB quickly moved past the early setback of Phil Salt’s dismissal. Kohli then continued to apply pressure at the crease, including a spell where he struck four boundaries off a Prince Yadav over, while Devdutt Padikkal made a significant contribution with a 57-run stand for the second wicket. Padikkal scored 10 runs in that partnership before departing, but the foundation had already been laid for RCB to accelerate.
Even with the momentum, Kohli couldn’t convert the start into another full big score as he fell short of another IPL half-century. He was dismissed when he holed out off pacer Avesh Khan, with the catch taken by Nicholas Pooran at long-on. After Kohli’s wicket, Patidar kept the scoring rate moving, hitting two consecutive sixes—one off Mohammed Shami and another off Prince—ensuring RCB stayed on track to finish quickly.
Though Patidar and Jitesh Sharma both departed during the final stretch of the chase, RCB had already done enough to secure the win. The points were sealed well before the required overs were reached, turning the contest into a comfortable outing despite the slightly sluggish nature of the Bengaluru surface.
Before the batters took over, RCB had already established dominance through disciplined bowling spells from Salam, Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood. Salam produced figures of 4/24, Bhuvneshwar struck for 3/27, and Hazlewood ended with 1/20. Hazlewood may have only added one wicket to the scoreboard, but his work with the new ball during the powerplay played a crucial role in derailing LSG’s innings, ultimately restricting them to a sub-par total of 146.
