Virat Kohli snubs Travis Head handshake in RCB defeat, SRH star has last laugh on field

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli warms up before the start of the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur. (AP Photo)KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar did not spend too much time searching for complicated reasons after Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 193 with relative comfort in Raipur on Wednesday night. For him, the turning point was simple enough.“When you drop Virat Kohli, especially in a chase, it becomes very difficult,” Nayar said after KKR’s six-wicket defeat. Kohli made KKR pay dearly for the dropped chance on 21, finishing unbeaten on 105 off 60 balls and guiding RCB home with the kind of control and composure that has defined his career for years. Nayar admitted KKR had enough runs on the board but felt the game slowly slipped away through a series of small moments that did not go in their favour. “As I said earlier, the score was fine on this pitch,” Nayar said. “There are a lot of things that could have been better. Virat’s catch was a very tough one. The Angkrish catch, you would expect him to take.” The KKR head coach also pointed to the absence of Varun Chakravarthy, whose injury once again left a significant hole in the middle overs.Story continues below this ad “At the end of the day, cricket works like that. If we had another 10-15 runs, maybe the game changes. If those catches are taken, maybe the game changes. If Varun Chakravarthy plays, maybe the game changes,” Nayar said. KKR have relied heavily on the Sunil Narine-Varun Chakravarthy combination in recent seasons, and Nayar admitted the side continues to miss the mystery spinner’s control and wicket-taking ability. “It is an open secret that we have done really well with the Sunny-Varun combination. It is unfortunate that we have missed him a lot this season,” Nayar said. “This is the second time he has had a fracture, which is unfortunate for him. You will always miss a Varun Chakravarthy.”Story continues below this ad Despite the defeat, Nayar felt KKR’s batting effort was competitive on the Raipur pitch, especially considering there was not much dew later in the evening. “Midway through the innings, we felt anywhere between 180 and 200 would be a good score. There was no dew as well, so that was not a factor,” he said. Nayar, though, found positives in Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s innings. The youngster made 71 off 46 balls after KKR lost early wickets, and the coach felt the knock showed maturity beyond his age. “I was very impressed with the way he batted because the ball was really nipping around early on. Hazlewood and Bhuvi are world-class bowlers,” Nayar said.Story continues below this ad “At no point did he look uncomfortable. He looked like he belonged there.” Nayar also revealed KKR had spent considerable time helping Rinku Singh work through a lean patch earlier this season. “For Rinku, it was about getting him batting time and also making a small technical adjustment,” he said. “A lot of groundwork went into helping him regain belief in his game and trust that he can clear boundaries again.”Story continues below this ad KKR next take on Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Synopsis: Virat Kohli’s masterful, unbeaten 105 off 60 balls leads RCB to a six-wicket win over KKR in Raipur.Virat Kohli came into Wednesday’s game under a bit of pressure after getting out for ducks in his previous two innings. So when he finally got off the mark off Saurabh Dubey’s last ball of the opening over against KKR in Raipur, the reaction said plenty – Kohli punched the air with a fist pump that showed how much it meant. Chasing 193 in Raipur, RCB needed Kohli to steady the innings and take the chase deep, something he has done countless times over the years. After a quiet start, the 37-year-old quickly settled into his rhythm. He flicked Vaibhav Arora through midwicket, punched another boundary square on the off side and then pulled Kartik Tyagi over deep fine leg for six as RCB kept up with the asking rate. Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru raises his bat after scoring a fifty during Match 57. (Photo by Sumeet Parmar / CREIMAS for IPL)There was very little panic in his batting. Kohli rotated strike regularly against Sunil Narine and waited patiently for loose deliveries from the seamers. Most of his runs came through timing and placement rather than risky shots. His half-century came off 32 balls in the 10th over when he pulled Cameron Green through the leg side for a couple. Little did KKR know then that Kohli was only getting started.Story continues below this ad From there, Kohli shifted gears beautifully. He picked gaps regularly against Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy before taking apart Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi at the death. There was elegance and authority in equal measure; a wristy whip over deep midwicket off Tyagi for six, a clean loft straight down the ground off Roy and several trademark punches through the off side. Unlike his measured start, the second half of the innings carried far more intent. Yet, Kohli never looked rushed. He stayed in control, kept finding boundaries at the right moments and steadily moved towards another landmark. His ninth IPL century came off 58 balls in the 19th over when he drove Arora calmly to long-off for a single. There was no wild celebration, only a raise of the bat and applause from the RCB dugout after a vintage Kohli knock. Raghuvanshi impresses A day before KKR faced RCB, Shane Watson had spoken warmly about Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s talent, saying the youngster reminded him of a teenage Sanju Samson.Story continues below this ad On Wednesday night, the 21-year-old showed exactly why the former Australia all-rounder rated him so highly. Walking in during the third over after Finn Allen’s early dismissal, Raghuvanshi found himself in a difficult situation almost immediately when captain Ajinkya Rahane fell soon after as well. KKR suddenly needed someone to steady the innings, and the youngster responded with a calm, mature knock that became the backbone of their 192-run total. Angkrish Raghuvanshi of Kolkata Knight Riders plays a shot during Match 57 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2026. (Photo by Faheem Hussain / CREIMAS for IPL)His 71 off 46 balls was not filled with reckless hitting. Instead, it was built on timing, balance and an ability to adapt quickly to different bowlers and conditions. Raghuvanshi absorbed the early movement against the seamers before gradually opening up his strokeplay. Alongside Cameron Green, he stitched together a crucial 68-run stand for the third wicket that helped KKR recover after the early setbacks.Story continues below this ad He got going by pulling Jacob Duffy over deep midwicket for six before settling into a rhythm against the rest of the RCB attack. He looked equally comfortable against spin. He swept Krunal Pandya for a towering six over deep square leg and later produced one of the shots of the evening by making room and lofting the left-arm spinner beautifully over extra cover for another maximum. His fourth half-century of IPL 2026 came off just 32 balls, and even after Green departed, he adjusted his role s

Updated: May 14, 2026 12:29 AM IST Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru plays a shot during Match 57 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2026 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur, India, on May 13, 2026. (CREIMAS)Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli came back to haunt the Kolkata Knight Riders again as he slammed his 9th Indian Premier League century at Raipur on Wednesday. This was Kohli’s first ton of the season as he got to his milestone in just 58 deliveries with the help of 10 fours and 3 sixes. He got to his half century in 32 balls and ultimately finished with 105* as he guided RCB to a big win which almost certainly solidified their status as one of the teams to reach the play-offs as they zoomed to the top of the table. Kohli’s 9th 100 is now the highest by any player in the IPL with Jos Buttler second with 7 centuries. He is also joint-third in the list of players with the most T20 centuries with 10. Chris Gayle tops that list with 22 tons while Babar Azam is second with 13. Kohli also slammed 14,000 T20 runs in the same match, ruling the roost.Earlier, Angkrish Raghuvanshi led the charge with his career-best 71 as Kolkata Knight Riders posted a commanding 192 for four against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their rain-delayed Indian Premier League clash here on Tuesday. The KKR wicketkeeper-batter struck three sixes and seven fours in a fluent knock off 46 balls while forging crucial partnerships along the way to give his side the necessary impetus, which their openers had failed to provide. With a wet outfield delaying the contest by more than an hour, RCB opted to field in search of early assistance, but there was no particular help for the seamers as compared to the last game here when new ball had made its impact. KKR lost momentum as soon as they had found some. After a tight first over in which Ajinkya Rahane (19) found a boundary after five dot balls off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Finn Allen (18) smacked 14 runs off Jacob Duffy in the second. But RCB struck back hard with Bhuvneshwar getting Allen caught behind off a delivery that darted away from the batter, and Josh Hazlewood bounced out Rahane in the fourth over soon after the KKR skipper had hit a six and a four off Duffy to make it 17 runs off the fourth over.Story continues below this ad With KKR crawling to 56 for two after the powerplay, Raghuvanshi put on vital 68 runs for the third wicket with Cameron Green (32) and another 76 runs for the fourth wicket with Rinku Singh (49 not out) to help put on a competitive total on the board. The 21-year-old Raghuvanshi struck his fourth half-century of the season which has been his best so far in the IPL, thriving at the No.3 slot while also having a long stint behind the wickets. He began with an imperious hit over wide long-on for a six and kept picking the odd boundaries during the two partnerships that he forged. While he dealt in some deft cut shots on the off-side, the highlights were a short-arm jab on the midwicket for a four off Duffy and a superb six over the ropes off Krunal Pandya.Story continues below this ad There was also one powerful hit off a slower delivery off Rasikh Salam over the umpire’s head. Raghuvanshi’s innings ended when he was run-out on the final ball of the innings. KKR’s cause was also served well by Green who struck 32 off 24 balls with three fours and a six, while Rinku was stranded one run short of his fifty as he made 49 not out off 29 balls with three fours and two sixes. The India batter continued with his rich vein of form having struck two unbeaten fifties in last four matches.