Virat Kohli produced a classic innings in Dharamsala on Thursday as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Punjab Kings by 60 runs. It was RCB’s fourth win on the trot and kept them in the running for a playoffs berth, while terminating Punjab’s hopes.

Kohli made 92 off 47 balls and it was enough to put RCB in a strong position in what was a must-win game for both the teams. Chasing his 100th hundred in all formats, he holed out in the deep in the 18th over.

Chasing 242, Punjab Kings began on a positive note but the regular fall of wickets led to their downfall.

RCB spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh took three wickets between the ninth and 12th overs to put them firmly in the driving seat.

Rilee Rossouw slammed his first half-century in IPL 2024 as he and Jonny Bairstow kept them in the hunt during their 65-run stand off 31 balls for the second wicket.

Rossouw later added another 36 with Shashank Singh but their departures meant Punjab Kings had almost lost the plot. The South African top scored with 61 off 27 balls. Shashank was brilliantly run out by Kohli on 37 off 18.

Cameron Green plays a shot on Thursday

Earlier, Kohli showed a mix of caution and aggression during his superb knock. It’s the sixth time Kohli crossed fifty this season, this time off 32 balls. It was a classic Kohli innings, using his feet nicely and whipping his wrists with immaculate timing. The innings included seven boundaries and six sixes.

Kohli was involved in two crucial partnerships — 76 with Rajat Patidar off 32 balls and then 92 with Cameron Green off 46 balls. This was RCB’s fourth-highest total in the IPL and was interrupted with a rain break after 10 overs. This was only the second instance of Kohli getting dismissed in the 90s in the IPL. The first time was versus Delhi Capitals in Delhi when he fell for 99 in 2013.

Useful contributions from Patidar (55 off 23) and Green (46 off 27) helped RCB sail past the 200-run mark. Towards the end, Dinesh Karthik was in his elements again as he smashed 18 off seven balls. It was mainly because of their efforts that RCB managed to add 77 runs in the last five overs. Punjab Kings came back strongly in the final over, giving away only three runs and claiming three wickets.