What is the return of chess master Virat Kohli? After two consecutive ducks, Kohli responded in the most Virat Kohli fashion possible, smashing his ninth IPL century to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a monumental chase of 193 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur. and finally, Krunal PandyaThe words of the previous match proved to be absolutely correct.RCB consolidated their position in the IPL 2026 points table with a resounding six-wicket victory over KKR. After being asked to bat first, Kolkata posted a competitive 192/4, aided by Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s brilliant 71 off 46 balls, which led to a brilliant innings after a steady start.
But the night ultimately belonged to Kohli. Running under pressure after back-to-back ducks, the RCB superstar silenced all doubts about his form with a sensational unbeaten 106 off just 60 balls. Kohli combined aggression with absolute control, chasing down the target with five balls to spare and proving once again why he is regarded as one of the greatest chasers in T20 cricket.Interestingly, before the match, Krunal Pandya had already predicted Kohli’s comeback during the post-match press conference after RCB’s win against Mumbai Indians. Asked about Kohli’s brief dip in form after scoring just 28 runs in his last three innings, Krunal confidently backed his teammate to bowl hard.“Virat Kohli is a champion player, when he fails in two matches, I get more excited because I know he will come back. We are never nervous about it. He is a different animal, he is very hungry. From here, I am sure Virat Kohli will do Virat Kohli things,” Krunel said.And Kohli said exactly that.After the match-winning century, Krunal Pandya once again grabbed attention on social media by sharing a post on Instagram with the caption: “I told you so.” Krunel’s faith in Kohli’s ability to respond under pressure was spot on, as the RCB superstar once again reminded the cricketing world why he remains the ultimate chaser.
