Raipur, May 13 (IANS) Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s fluent 71 and Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 49 powered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 192/4 in their 20 overs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 57 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday.

On a pitch where the odd ball kept low, KKR’s innings was anchored by Raghuvanshi, who hit seven fours and three sixes in his 46-ball knock coming at a strike-rate of 154.35. He stitched partnerships of 68 and 76 not out with Cameron Green (32) and Rinku, who hit three fours and two sixes in his unconquered 29-ball vigil.

Raghuvanshi kept finding boundaries at regular intervals and ensured the scoreboard was ticking. Though Green was not at his fluent best, Rinku’s finishing flourish lifted KKR past 190. RCB, meanwhile, were sloppy in the field with several misfields, and their bowling lacked bite. Though Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Rasikh Salam Dar picked a wicket each, none could stem the flow of runs consistently.

The chase will demand a disciplined effort from their batters if they are to overhaul the target. Sent in to bat first, KKR lost opener Finn Allen early after Bhuvneshwar Kumar found his outside edge and was snapped by Jitesh Sharma in the third over.

Ajinkya Rahane looked promising by hitting three boundaries and a six, but gave a top edge to Hazlewood off his own bowling for 19. Raghuvanshi then took charge, striking cleanly through the off‑side and over mid‑wicket. He found an able partner in Green, who contributed 32 with three fours and a six before being castled by a skiddy delivery from Rasikh in the 13th over.

Raghuvanshi reached his fourth fifty of the season in the 14th over in 32 balls, becoming the youngest KKR batter to record four 50‑plus scores in a single IPL edition. He continued to anchor the innings, mixing placement with power, even as Rinku, who was watchful initially, accelerated in the final overs.

His electric running between the wickets with Raghuvanshi ensured KKR rotated the strike well. By the time the innings came to a close, where all KKR batters contributed, Raghuvanshi was run out attempting a second run off the last ball, finishing on 71, while Rinku remained unbeaten, as KKR will now have a crack with the ball to get their fifth win on the trot.

Brief scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders 192/4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 71, Rinku Singh 49 not out; Josh Hazlewood 1-35, Rasikh Salam 1-35) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru

–IANS

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