Bengaluru, Apr 15:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will rely on their fearsome batting unit to fire again as they look to dismantle an inconsistent Lucknow Super Giants and pull clear of the mid-table logjam in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.
The Royal Challengers are currently third on the table with six points and four other teams are chasing the reigning champions with four points each.
The Bengaluru outfit is two points adrift of leaders Rajasthan Royals and a point behind Punjab Kings.
But in reality, no team in this edition of the IPL has driven fear into the hearts of bowlers more than RCB.
Rajasthan’s aura has been built around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s flashing blade while Punjab has been more solid than flamboyant, building their legacy around calculated chases.
But RCB have fired in unison. They have resembled a battering ram and it reflects in the strike-rates of their top five.
Virat Kohli (162), Phil Salt (178), Rajat Patidar (214), Tim David (221) and Devdutt Padikkal (201), have put all comers through the wringer in IPL 2026.
These five batters have combined to smash an astonishing 52 sixes across four matches, the most by any team in this IPL season, taking range-hitting to another level. As a result, they have never scored less than 200 in this IPL so far — an apt reflection of their marauding batting ideology.
Kohli had gone out of the field with an ankle niggle during the previous game against Mumbai Indians, raising some concerns about his availability for Wednesday’s match.
But the star batter batted at nets for sometime with a strap around his leg to allay the worries for now.
The RCB will also want to cash in on the home stretch of three matches — the LSG match will be followed by fixtures against Delhi Capitals (April 18) and Gujarat Titans (April 24) — before travelling to Raipur for two ‘home’ contests.