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Virat Kohli with LSG's Naman Tiwari in IPL 2026. PC - x.com/@TheeDefender
On Wednesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) embarrassed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to leapfrog to the top spot on the points table in the IPL 2026. Virat Kohli’s 49 at the top punctured LSG’s hopes, before Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam terrorised with the ball.
In the chase of 147 runs, Kohli returned with a 34-ball 49, hitting six fours and a mighty six. At one stage, he was striking well over 200 and was looking to take RCB home on his back, but he miscued one off Avesh Khan.
Bengaluru chased down the target in just 15.1 overs by five wickets, bagging two victories in a row and jumping two spots on the points table.
Naman Tiwari touches Virat Kohli's feet, reaction goes viral
After the game, as both teams were having a chat as a customary post-game ritual, Virat Kohli was seen sharing his ball knowledge with LSG’s young talents - Naman Tiwari and Mukul Choudhary.
After a long chat with the youngsters, Kohli shook hands with the two, but to his surprise, Tiwari went to touch the legendary batter’s feet. Caught off guard, Kohli jumped backwards and asked the left-arm quick not to touch his feet smilingly.
A couple of days ago, a similar incident occurred when a ball boy was seen touching RCB's Venkatesh Iyer's feet, which embarrassed the all-rounder.
Watch: Naman Tiwari embarrasses Virat Kohli by touching his feet
Who is Naman Tiwari?
Naman Tiwari, a talented left-arm seamer, is known to bowl 145 clicks regularly, but has yet to be unleashed by the LSG management. The 20-year-old was a part of the Indian U19 squad that went down to play the final of the 2024 U19 World Cup, where he took 12 wickets in six outings at 19.83 apiece.
Fast-tracked by the performances in the UP T20 League, Tiwari was a wonderboy for Noida Super Kings during the 2025 season, scalping 19 wickets in 10 innings. He has served as a net bowler for the Rajasthan Royals as well.
Ahead of the IPL 2026, the LSG management invested in Naman Tiwari by acquiring him for INR 1 crore. Currently in the Lucknow camp, he is learning the curve under the elite guidance of bowling coach Bharat Arun and their premier pacer Mohammed Shami.
Underperforming Super Giants in IPL 2026
Under Rishabh Pant's captaincy, the Lucknow-based team are going through an awful phase in the IPL 2026. After playing five matches, they have won just two matches, sitting in seventh place. Moreover, LSG has beaten two underperforming sides - KKR and SRH.
On paper, they have one of the most enthralling batting line-ups with Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran in their ranks, but the quadruple is failing big time. Meanwhile, with Mohammed Shami, the leader of their bowling pack, LSG’s bowling has been doing decently well.
The Super Giants will face the Punjab Kings next in New Chandigarh on Sunday.
RCB firing all cylinders since RR loss
On the contrary, the defending champions have lost just a solitary fixture in this IPL. Since losing to Rajasthan, RCB have worked on their flaws and have come out strongly against MI and LSG in their last games.
The Rajat Patidar-led side is playing like a champion team in all three departments. In the previous outing, they bundled Lucknow for 146, with Rasikh Salam and Bhuvneshwar Kumar sharing seven wickets between them.
Later in the chase, Virat Kohli led the charge with 49-run knock, before Rajat Patidar (27), Jitesh Sharma (23), Tim David (14*) and Romario Shepherd (14*) all contributed. Additionally, after the RCB vs LSG match, the 37-year-old bagged the Orange Cap.
They will now be at loggerheads with the Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
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