Rasikh Dar (4/24), Virat Kohli (49 off 34) star in five-wicket win
Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on a superb four-wicket haul from Rasikh Salam Dar and a fluent knock from Virat Kohli to defeat Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in the IPL 2026 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday.
Put in to bat, LSG were bowled out for 146 in 20 overs despite useful knocks from Mitchell Marsh (40) and Mukul Choudhary (39). Rasikh Dar led the bowling charge with his maiden T20 four-wicket haul, returning impressive figures of 4/24, as RCB’s attack kept the visitors under constant pressure. He was well supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/27) and Krunal Pandya (2/38), while Josh Hazlewood maintained control with 1/20.
LSG’s innings never gained momentum after early breakthroughs, with captain Rishabh Pant retiring hurt and Nicholas Pooran failing once again, falling for a single-digit score. Although Marsh briefly counterattacked, regular strikes from RCB bowlers ensured LSG were never allowed to recover.
In reply, RCB chased down the target in 15.1 overs despite losing five wickets. Kohli led the charge with a brisk 49 off 34 balls, striking six fours and a six, and setting up the platform with a 60-run powerplay effort.
He was well supported by Rajat Patidar (27 off 13), while late cameos from Tim David and Romario Shepherd sealed the win comfortably.
The victory took RCB to the top of the points table with eight points from five matches, while LSG slipped further after their third defeat of the season.
