Virat Kohli hits stunning century to sink Kolkata Knight Riders
Virat Kohli silenced critics with a masterful unbeaten 105 to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a commanding six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday. Chasing a stiff target of 193 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, the veteran batter regained his rhythm after a rare string of low scores. His ninth IPL century not only anchored the chase but also propelled his franchise to the summit of the points table, securing 16 points from 12 outings.
Kohli Rewrites Record Books
Beyond the match-winning effort, this innings marked a historic milestone as Kohli became the fastest player to reach 14,000 runs in T20 cricket. He achieved this feat in just 409 innings, surpassing the pace set by legends like Chris Gayle. His tally of nine IPL hundreds remains the highest in the history of the league, putting him two clear of Jos Buttler. Despite a rain delay that pushed the start back by over an hour, the Raipur crowd remained to witness the star batter hit 11 fours and three sixes.
Kolkata Sets Competitive Total
Earlier, KKR recovered from early blows to post 192 for four. Young wicketkeeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a standout innings, scoring a career-best 71 off 46 deliveries. He found solid support from Rinku Singh, who remained stranded on 49 not out, and Cameron Green, who contributed 32. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood provided early breakthroughs for RCB, the KKR middle order utilized the batting-friendly Raipur conditions to keep the contest alive.
Bengalis Support Raipur Cricket
Raipur has emerged as a significant neutral venue for the IPL, often drawing large crowds from neighboring states, including fans from Odisha who travel to see high-profile clashes. RCB’s chase remained steady throughout, largely due to a 92-run partnership between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal. Although Kartik Tyagi claimed three wickets for Kolkata, he could not stop Jitesh Sharma from hitting the winning boundary with five balls to spare.
