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All eyes were on Virat Kohli before the big IPL 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Raipur on May 13 as the former Indian captain was coming into the game after two back-to-back ducks.
With questions having started rising over his form, Virat Kohli answered everything in his own style. In a difficult chase of 193 runs, the RCB superstar played one of those classic Kohli innings where every shot looked calculated, every run mattered, and pressure could never touch him.
Virat Kohli silences critics with stunning 105* in RCB vs KKR IPL 2026 clash
The former India captain remained unbeaten on 105 runs from just 60 balls and guided RCB to a six-wicket victory over KKR in Raipur. His match-winning knock featured 11 boundaries and three sixes, but it was his smart batting and brilliant running between the wickets that left everyone impressed.
The modern T20 cricket is all about power-hitting, but Kohli showed that proper timing, placement, and game awareness are still enough to dominate a chase. KKR bowlers kept changing plans, but nothing worked against the dashing right-hander during the IPL 2026 clash.
Kohli’s stump mic joke with Manish Pandey goes viral
Meanwhile, Kohli has not grabbed the headlines with his stunning century during the IPL 2026 clash between KKR and RCB but also for his bromance with his former under-19 teammate Manish Pandey and his fun moment with his former teammate Cameron Green in Raipur.
Now, another funny moment involving Kohli and Pandey during the RCB vs KKR match went viral across social media. Actually, the dashing right-hander joking about his shot selection took social media by storm. In a viral clip, Kohli was seen chatting with Manish Pandey on the field.
During the conversation, the RCB batter, caught by the stump mic, jokingly said that since he no longer plays T20 cricket for India, he can now play every kind of shot freely without any pressure. Kohli was heard saying, “Ab India ke liye thodi khelna hain T20is, to ab har shot lagega" (Now I don’t have to play T20is, so I’ll play all shots).”
Virat Kohli to Manish Pandey during last night’s match:
— Virat Kohli FanTeam (@ViratFanTeam) May 14, 2026
“Ab India ke liye thodi khelna hain T20is, to ab har shot lagega (now I don’t have play T20is, so I’ll play all shots)”. 😂❤️pic.twitter.com/QLP7L50dxn
Virat Kohli to Manish Pandey during last night’s match:
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 14, 2026
“Ab India ke liye thodi khelna hain T20is, to ab har shot lagega (now I don’t have play T20is, so I’ll play all shots)”. 😂❤️ pic.twitter.com/qRybgVoST4
Virat Kohli rewrites IPL history
Meanwhile, Kohli achieved several milestones during the stunning century. Kohli became the first Indian batter to score 10 centuries in T20 cricket. He also became the fastest batter in cricket history to complete 14,000 runs in the shorter format of the game.
It was the RCB icon’s first and ninth IPL century since the 2023 season. With his 279th IPL match, Kohli also became the player with the most matches in the tournament’s history, surpassing both MS Dhoni (278) and Rohit Sharma (278).
Sunil Gavaskar says nobody constructs a chase better than Kohli
After the record-breaking match for Kohli, legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar showered rich praise on the former captain. Gavaskar said on Star Sports’ JioStar Cricket Live, "Kohli knows how to construct a chase better than most players in world cricket.
Kohli was absolutely outstanding against KKR. He proved that the old generation is still the best. Even though the young stars are taking center stage, the experienced greats are not done yet. This hundred from Virat Kohli was one of those special moments that remind us of his greatness.”
