Virat Kohli played his best knock of the season as Royal Challengers Bangalore kept their Indian Premier League 2022 playoff hopes alive by defeating leaders Gujarat Titans by eight wickets and with eight balls to spare at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

IPL 2022 points table after RCB vs GT

Team  Pld  Won  Lost  Net RR  Pts  Form 
GT  14  10  0.316  20  LWWLL 
LSG  14  0.251  18  WLLWW 
3   RR  13  0.304  16  WLWLL 
4   RCB  14  -0.253  16  WLWWL 
5   DC  13  0.255  14  WWLWL 
6   KKR  14  0.146  12  LWWLW 
7   PBKS  13  -0.043  12  LWLWL 
8   SRH  13  -0.230  12  WLLLL 
9   CSK  13  -0.206  LLWLW 
10   MI  13  10  -0.577  LWLWW

Chasing 169, Kohli, who struck eight boundaries and two sixes in his 54-ball 73, and captain Faf du Plessis (44) laid the foundation with a 115-run stand. Glenn Maxwell (40 not out off 18) provided the finishing touches as RCB romped home with eight balls remaining.

Earlier, skipper Hardik Pandya hit a unbeaten 62 to help GT post 168/5. Besides Hardik, David Miller (34) and Wriddhiman Saha (31) also made useful contributions with the bat.

IPL 2022 playoff qualification scenarios: RCB’s win puts pressure on DC; SRH and PBKS eliminated

Brief score:

Gujarat Titans: 168/5 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 62 not out; Josh Hazzlewood 2/39).

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 170/2 in 19.2 overs (Virat Kohli 73; Glenn Maxwell 40 not out; Rashid Khan 2/32).