In a performance defined by disciplined bowling and a composed chase, Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured a comprehensive five-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants in Match 23 of TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After Rasikh Salam Dar’s career-best 4/24 restricted the visitors to 146, a bunch of strong cameos led by Virat Kohli’s 49(34) ensured the home side chased down the target with as many as 29 balls to spare.

Opting to bowl first, RCB’s bowlers immediately vindicated their captain’s decision. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the returning Josh Hazlewood stifled the opening pair of Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh with a barrage of dot balls, despite Marsh smacking a 102-metre monster six over deep mid-wicket.

 

 

 

 

 

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The powerplay’s biggest talking point, however, was an injury to LSG skipper Rishabh Pant, who was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the elbow by a sharp pacy delivery from Hazlewood.

After Rasikh Dar removed Markram early, LSG were reeling at 35/1 - their lowest powerplay total of the season. Hazlewood then removed Nicholas Pooran off the very next delivery. Mitchell Marsh attempted to break the shackles, but his resistance ended at 40 (32) when Krunal Pandya cleaned him up with a quicker one. Krunal then removed Abdul Samad in quick succession, with the wicket marking a significant milestone for Krunal, who registered his 100th IPL wicket in front of a roaring Bengaluru crowd.

Ayush Badoni (38 off 24) and Mukul Choudhary (39 off 28) provided a brief sense of hope with some inventive strokeplay, but the constant fall of wickets prevented any late-innings explosion. A courageous Rishabh Pant returned to the crease in the 16th over but lasted only three deliveries before being brilliantly caught by Phil Salt off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

 

 

 

 

 

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Bhuvneshwar’s twin strikes, including a superb yorker to clean up Mohd. Shami further troubled LSG. But Rasikh Dar took center stage in the slog overs. The young pacer utilized his variations and pinpoint yorkers to perfection. In a superb final spell, he removed the set Badoni before returning in the 20th over to clean up both Mukul Choudhary and Avesh Khan.

Rasikh finished with extraordinary figures of 4/24, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/27) and Krunal Pandya (2/38) ensured the visitors were dismissed for 146—the lowest total for any team batting out their full 20 overs in this edition of the tournament.

Chasing 147, RCB’s intent was clear from the first ball. While Phil Salt fell early to Prince Yadav, the introduction of Virat Kohli as the Impact Substitute shifted the momentum entirely. Kohli went berserk in the powerplay, dismantling the LSG attack with a flurry of boundaries and signature lofts.

On Target 🎯

Prince Yadav and his impact in the powerplay continue 👌

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/UztAZM9l0q#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RCBvLSG | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/W1MOgfAAzW

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2026

By the end of the powerplay, Kohli had raced to 40* off just 20 deliveries, propelling RCB to a commanding 60/1. His aggression ensured the required rate remained well under control, allowing the subsequent batters to play with freedom. LSG momentarily pegged things back with the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal (10) and Kohli, who fell just short of a half-century on 49.

Absolute Class 👌

Virat Kohli wasting no time in the chase 🔥🔥

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/UztAZM9l0q#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RCBvLSG | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/MvHysjL3IV

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2026

However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished by Jitesh Sharma and Patidar. Jitesh took a particular liking to the spin of Digvesh Rathi, smashing two boundaries and two big sixes in a single over that yielded 23 runs.

Though Prince Yadav struck twice in one over to remove both Jitesh and skipper Patidar (27 off 13), the damage was already done. Romario Shepherd and Tim David provided the finishing touches to take RCB towards a victory that saw them reclaim the top spot on the points table with 8 points from five matches.