In the 23rd game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which was held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chased down a modest target of 147 runs in just 15. 1 overs, losing five wickets against Lucknow Super Giants. Virat Kohli, an impact player, led the way with 49 runs.

After this victory, RCB has 8 points from five games and is back at the top of the points table.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru began cautiously in pursuit of a small target, scoring only six runs in the first over. Prince Yadav bowled Phil Salt for 7 off 8 balls in the following over, after he narrowly escaped being run out on the last delivery of the first over when he tried to pick up the pace.

The shackles were broken when Virat Kohli then changed course and hit three straight boundaries off Mohammed Shami, who had previously bowled a good first over. To keep the pressure on the opposition, Kohli continued his aggressive strategy by hitting four boundaries in the next over against Prince Yadav. Kohli’s 40 runs off only 20 balls, together with his aggressive approach, helped RCB reach 60/1 at the conclusion of the power play.

As a result of an elbow injury he sustained in the first innings, Rishabh Pant was unable to play, and Nicholas Pooran captained the Lucknow Super Giants on the field. Despite their sloppy play in the field, LSG made a breakthrough in the eighth over when Avesh Khan got rid of Devdutt Padikkal for ten runs.

While Rajat Patidar took the offensive role, Kohli kept the innings together by effectively rotating the strike. In the 13th over, though, Kohli was dismissed for 49 off 34 balls at long-on, an innings that featured six fours and a six, falling just shy of a half-century.

Patidar and Jitesh Sharma increased the pace of the game after he was fired. Patidar chipped in with a quick 27 off 13 balls before both were out in rapid succession by Prince Yadav, while Jitesh hit two sixes and two fours in the same over.

Ultimately, Tim David and Romario Shepherd led RCB to victory with 29 balls remaining, each remaining undefeated on 14. Two crucial wickets for LSG were taken by Avesh Khan.

Prince bowled the best for LSG, ending with respectable numbers of 3-32. Even though Avesh Khan also grabbed two important wickets.

In the beginning, when asked to bat first, LSG had a difficult time getting started as openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram struggled against the tight new-ball spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, scoring only 14/0 in the first two overs. Markram left for 12 after misjudging a slower Rasikh delivery, although Marsh momentarily changed the tide with a massive six.

Rishabh Pant, the captain of LSG, sustained a major setback when he injured his elbow and was forced to quit the game due to injury after just three balls. Hazlewood bowled Nicholas Pooran out cheaply, and he was unable to take advantage of the chance.

Marsh was then dismissed for 40 by Krunal Pandya after he and Ayush Badoni put together a rapid 36-run partnership. Abdul Samad was knocked out for a duck by Krunal, which dealt another blow to the LSG innings.

With a steady partnership, Badoni, 38, and Mukul Choudhary, 39, attempted to rebuild, but consistent wickets continued to slow LSG’s progress. Later, Pant returned, but he was just able to complete one run.

With four wickets taken by Rasikh, three by Bhuvneshwar, and Hazlewood maintaining good command, the innings was brought to a successful conclusion. The combined effort of the team resulted in RCB limiting LSG to a low score.

Brief Scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 146/10 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 40, Mukul Choudhary 39; Rasikh Dar 4-24, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-27 )
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 149/5 in 15.1 overs (Virat Kohli 49, Rajat Patidar 27; Prince Yadav 3-32, Avesh Khan 2-23)