IPL 2026: RCB vs. KKR prediction, lineups, pitch report and betting tips as Virat Kohli looks for a big score at Raipur
RCB vs. KKR: Kohli seeks redemption, KKR arrive in red-hot form as Raipur braces itself for a fascinating clash.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, a ground where teams batting second have won 71. 43% of matches. RCB, the pace-setters throughout the league phase, have arrived at this contest carrying both the confidence of a hard-fought win and the lingering anxiety of a top order that has not quite fired.
It was Rasikh Salam who held his nerve on the final ball against Mumbai Indians, and a misfield from Raj Bawa off his own bowling that had gifted RCB the margin they needed in a breathless last-over thriller. Yet the questions have not gone away. Rajat Patidar's side sit second on the table with three games remaining, needing two more wins to have a genuine say in the top two.
Virat Kohli, a man who has carried RCB's batting on his shoulders for the better part of two decades, has fallen for ducks in back-to-back innings. It has not happened to him since 2022. KKR come riding four consecutive victories, winning their last two matches by eight and seven wickets respectively.
Sunil Narine has conceded just 6. 51 runs per over this season, and Finn Allen, with a strike-rate of 205. 88, has finally found his touch.
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