M. Chinnaswamy Stadium drowned in a sea of red this Wednesday Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Gave a masterclass in clinical T20 cricket. in the 23rd match of ipl 2026 Season, RCB demolished Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) The modest target of 147 runs was achieved by 5 wickets with about five overs remaining. The win, which cemented RCB’s dominant position at the top of the table, was built on a sensational bowling performance and a vintage batting performance by the league’s most decorated man.
Rasikh Salam’s brilliance restricts LSG to a low score in the first innings
The story of the first innings was written by the young fast bowler Rasikh SalaamWhose “fiery magic” ravaged the LSG batting lineup. Winning the toss and opting to bowl proved to be a masterstroke for RCB. while experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar Setting the tone with an early scalp, it was Salam who provided the knockout punch.
Salam’s 4 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs was proof of his tactical development. He broke a dangerous opening stand by being out first. aiden markram On 12 runs, but his real impact came in the death overs. LSG struggle to find momentum, further hampered by injury fears Rishabh PantWho had to retire hurt at the beginning of the innings. Although Michelle Marsh (32 out of 40) and Ayush Badoni (24 of 38) attempted reconstruction, Salaam had consistent successes.
The young fast bowler’s ability to combine sharp yorkers with deceptive slower balls helped him bowl out wickets including tails. Mukul Chaudhary (39) and Avesh Khan. LSG were eventually all out for 146 runs in 20 overs. Disciplined bowling effort supported Josh HazlewoodWho maintained an economy of 5.00, ensuring that LSG never reached a competitive total on the usually high-scoring Bengaluru track.
Virat Kohli’s brilliant innings leads RCB to a spectacular win over LSG
Chasing 147, RCB wasted no time in asserting their authority. despite initial defeat Phil Saltintroduction of Virat Kohli An impressive player who sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Kohli looked in great touch from the first ball as he chased the target with a mix of aggression and surgical precision.
Kohli played an inning of 49 runs in just 34 balls with the help of 4 fours and 6 sixes. His strike rate of 144.11 kept the pressure on the LSG bowlers. He made an important partnership of 57 runs Devdutt PadikkalTook RCB to 60/1 in the powerplay. While Avesh eventually managed to get Kohli past his half-century, the damage was already done.
lsg Prince Yadav He struggled late and took 3 wickets for 32 runs, but the required rate was never a matter of concern for the Bengaluru team. contribution from Rajat Patidar (13 of 27) and Jitesh Sharma (23 off 9) kept the scoreboard ticking at around 10 runs per over. At the end, tim david And Romario Shepherd Remained calm to finish the game at 149/5 in just 15.1 overs. This emphatic win with 29 balls to spare not only thrilled the fans but also significantly increased RCB’s net run rate, making them the team to beat this season.
See also: Mitchell Marsh knocks Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of the park with a massive 102m six in RCB vs LSG match
Here’s how fans reacted:
Rasikh Dar Salaam was the last missing piece of this super RCB team.
NGL This could be RCB’s greatest ever XI..
And yes..Virat Kohli is not even the captain..😭 pic.twitter.com/RkHmSATBoD– It’s_Itachi (@shree9503) 15 April 2026
Rasikh Salaam: 4-0-24-4
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 4-0-27-3
Josh Hazlewood: 4-0-20-1Performance of RCB fast bowlers in Chinnaswamy 🤯✓ pic.twitter.com/FXhkjumixa
– Noor Alam (@actornoor73) 15 April 2026
Rashikh Salam has one of the slowest overs in this IPL. When I chose him for Jammu and Kashmir for the first time, this is what impressed me the most. #rcb
– Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) 15 April 2026
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 4-0-27-3
Josh Hazlewood: 4-0-20-1
Rasikh Salaam: 4-0-24-4
Krunal Pandya: 4-0-38-2
Suyash Sharma: 4-0-34-0
RCB’s bowling performance tonight. 🥵📈#RCBvsLSGpic.twitter.com/pQDQHVlE8c
– Harsha (@HarshAA__18) 15 April 2026
With these two huge displays of Rasikh Salaam, the unnecessary cries of Hazlewood and Duffy playing together will fortunately stop.
I am not in favor of keeping Shepherd and Duffy in the sub and using them accordingly
The shepherd should be given a long rope, clarity…– RCB Xtra (@Rcb_Xtra) 15 April 2026
I’m expecting Rasikh Salaam to have over 1 million followers by tomorrow, he has the support of the biggest, loudest fanbase in the league. ❤️🔥
RCB fans, wake up, we have to make our best bowler famous. Let the numbers explode overnight. pic.twitter.com/grrpia1YWa
– Mamu (@ElevateUrMind4) 15 April 2026
Rasikh Salaam Dar – You are incredible!
Lucknow was all out for 146 runs in Chinnaswamy.
4 wickets for Salam, the issue of RCB’s third fast bowler has been resolved and the team is now decided.#Cricket #IPL2026 #iplupdate #TATAIPL2026 #TataIPL #IPL_2026 #IPL #IPL #csk #RCBvsLSG #lsg #rcb #LSGvsRCB pic.twitter.com/61LfWiDHOw
– Team India🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@PritiThaku53390) 15 April 2026
Orange Cup for Virat Kohli. His strike rate was 162. pic.twitter.com/tvczylF0bN
– Juylov Vladislav (@juylov_vlad) 15 April 2026
Virat Kohli, who retired from T20I 2 years ago, is still India’s best T20I batsman and also the best in the world ♥️
During the T20I WC, I had said that Virat is still the best in the world and this will be proved in the IPL where every player will get equal conditions and he proved me right! pic.twitter.com/j8WnYS9lTZ
– Rajeev (@Rajeev1841) 15 April 2026
📢RCB beat LSG by 5 wickets..!!
The defending champions on the table topper. 👍 pic.twitter.com/zjb7A8Hl8I
– Danish (@BhttDNSH100) 15 April 2026
See also: Josh Hazlewood smashes Nicholas Pooran’s stump with a peach in RCB vs LSG clash
