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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) returned to top spot in the IPL 2026 standings following a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday.
Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Kolkata Knight Riders - Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Raipur, India - May 14, 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Jitesh Sharma with Kolkata Knight Riders' Cameron Green and Kolkata Knight Riders' Ajinkya Rahane after the match REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary(REUTERS)Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL 2026 match in Raipur on Wednesday to further strengthen their case for the playoffs. The win took RCB back to first place, and they now have 16 points from 12 matches.
It is the same number of points as of Gujarat Titans (GT), with only the Net Run Rate (NRR) separating the two teams. Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, remained in eighth place with nine points from 11 matches, with their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs now looking slim.
Even if KKR win their remaining three matches, they will only get to 15 points, which may not be enough in what has been a very competitive season.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) secured a six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), reclaiming the No.1 spot in the IPL 2026 points table with 16 points from 12 matches. KKR remained in eighth place with nine points from 11 matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) posted a total of 192/4 in their innings. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) successfully chased this target, winning by six wickets.
Following his century against KKR, Virat Kohli now has 9 IPL centuries, extending his lead at the top of the all-time IPL hundreds list.
After the loss to RCB, KKR's hopes of qualifying for the playoffs are slim. Even if they win their remaining three matches, they will only reach 15 points, which may not be enough in a competitive season.
The Raipur venue has large boundaries that favor technical batters over power-hitters. Additionally, dew is expected in the second innings, which can make gripping the ball difficult for spinners, potentially impacting KKR's spin-reliant attack more than RCB's seam-based approach.
The three-time champions might even have to rely on other results to go in their favour should they win their remaining three matches. For RCB, on the other hand, one more win could virtually seal their spot in the playoffs.
Let's now take a look at the updated IPL 2026 standings:
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1.053 |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0.551 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0.331 |
| 4 | Punjab Kings | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 0.428 |
| 5 | Chennai Super Kings | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0.185 |
| 6 | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0.082 |
| 7 | Delhi Capitals | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 10 | -0.993 |
| 8 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 9 | -0.198 |
| 9 | Mumbai Indians (E) | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | -0.585 |
| 10 | Lucknow Super Giants (E) | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | -0.907 |
What happened in RCB vs KKR match?
The match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur on Wednesday was delayed by more than an hour due to rain. After a frustrating wait, the toss finally took place at 8.30 pm IST, with the match starting at 8.45 pm.
Rajat Patidar won the toss and said that RCB would field first. RCB, who are playing two of their home games in Raipur, got off to a strong start. Bhuvneshwar Kumar got rid of Finn Allen in the third over, whereas KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane was caught and bowled by Josh Hazlewood.
However, KKR found a star in Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who walked out to bat at No.3. Despite losing Rahane, Raghuvanshi found an able partner in Australia’s Cameron Green (32), as the two of them forged 68 runs for the third wicket.
That led KKR to 100 in just the 12th over, but not long after, the three-time champions lost Green, who was clean bowled by Rasikh Dar Salam after looking to swing it across the line.
Rinku Singh played his part with an unbeaten 49 runs from 29 balls, but it was Angkrish Raghuvanshi who stole the limelight with a balanced approach. His score of 71 even turned out to be his highest-ever score in the IPL. KKR eventually posted a total of 192/4, as Raghuvanshi was run-out in the final ball of the innings.
Opener Virat Kohli headlined RCB’s run chase with an unbeaten century. The former RCB skipper remained unbeaten on 105 runs from 60 balls, slamming 11 fours and three sixes. He was involved in a 92-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal for the second wicket, and even though Kohli continued losing partners at regular intervals, he looked unperturbed during the run chase.
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