Bengaluru, who moved to fifth, have mounted a late charge to make the play-offs but will need to win their last league match and other results to go in their favour to be in the top four.

Kohli's strike rate and his effectiveness against spin bowling had become a hot topic of debate in recent weeks.

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has slammed star batter Virat Kohli for his tirade on former cricketers and analysts over their criticism of the star batter’s low strike rate.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj produced a scintillating new-ball burst in Saturday's Indian Premier League (IPL) victory against Gujarat Titans to ease concerns over his form ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.

Jacks chalked up 10 sixes in his blitz as he put on an unbeaten stand of 166 with Virat Kohli, who hit 70 and remained in awe of his younger partner's hitting at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

Du Plessis said getting their second win would give them a boost.

Kohli fell early in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's chase on Sunday after he was caught and bowled by Kolkata Knight Riders pace bowler Harshit Rana and his team went on to lose by one run at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

In six innings, Karthik has racked up 226 runs at an average of 75.33 and a strike-rate of 205.45.Excelling in a finisher role for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Karthik has pushed his case for a call-up to the T20I squad with just over a month to go for the T20 World Cup.

The big-hitting all-rounder has scored just 32 with the bat in six games and skipped the defeat on Monday in a record run-fest against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell joked that it would be better if India do not pick his Indian Premier League (IPL) teammate Virat Kohli for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in June.

Rajasthan emerged victorious with five balls to spare, prompting further scrutiny of Kohli's approach and effectiveness in T20 cricket.

Speedster Mayank Yadav bowled the quickest ball of the new IPL season at 156.7 km/h (97.4 mph) in a fiery spell to power Lucknow Super Giants to a 28-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday.

“Not only a fairplay award, they should be given an Oscar,” Gavaskar said.

Chennai Super Kings will begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) title defence against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in what could be MS Dhoni's final year in the lucrative Twenty20 competition after he stepped down as captain on Thursday.