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Virat Kohli's commanding 77 off 49 deliveries was the driving force behind Royal Challengers Bangalore's maiden victory in the IPL 2024 season, as they clinched a thrilling win against Punjab Kings at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Kohli, who received a reprieve on just the second ball of the innings courtesy of Jonny Bairstow's slip, capitalized on the opportunity with a masterful display of stroke-making, laying a solid foundation for the chase.

Supported by Dinesh Karthik, who blazed his way to an unbeaten 28 off just 10 balls, and the Impact Player Mahipal Lomror, contributing a vital 17 not out from 8 deliveries, Kohli ensured RCB reached the target of 177 with an over to spare.

Earlier, RCB's disciplined bowling effort restricted PBKS to 176/6. Despite Shashank Singh's late blitz, accumulating 20 runs off the final over, Punjab Kings struggled to find momentum throughout their innings.

Shashank Singh smashed 20 runs off the last over to push Punjab Kings' score to 176/6 in what was otherwise a rather subdued batting performance.

Yash Dayal and Mohammed Siraj were the stars for RCB with the ball. Dayal returned figures of 1/23 while Siraj returned 2/26.

RCB captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and chose to bowl first. Punjab Kings lost opener Jonny Bairstow early to Mohammed Siraj.

While captain Shikhar Dhawan tried to get a move on, RCB did well to keep the batters in check and put pressure on PBKS in the first 10 overs. Dhawan was eventually dismissed for 44 off 37 while the dangerous Liam Livingstone fell for just 17 runs in 13 balls.