After Klaasen’s brilliant 104 that lit up the Uppal Stadium, Kohli and Faf Du Plessis The two put on their superhero capes mocking 187 Chase.
Sharing the biggest partnership of the season, Kohli and du Plessis added 172 runs for the opening wicket as Bangalore secured their seventh win and entered the top four, pushing Mumbai Indians to fifth.
Notching up his sixth century and first since 2019, Kohli, with the bat, also equaled Chris Gayle’s record for most hundreds in the world’s biggest cricket league.
After Kohli and Du Plessis’ fourth century partnership, Glenn Maxwell and Michael Bracewell chased down the target with 4 balls to spare.
Klaasen displayed his aggressive innings during his 51-ball 104, hitting six sixes and eight fours to take SRH to 186 for five in the fifth over from 28 for two.
But Kohli (100) had other plans as he and Du Plessis (71) helped RCB chase down the target with their superb ball and led to a record-breaking opening stand.
RCB are now fourth in the points table due to their better net run rate, although they are tied with Mumbai on 14 points. However, they will have to win their next match to stay in the mix as Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants have 15 points each with one match left.
Kohli hit four maximums and 12 fours in his 63-ball innings, while Du Plessis hit seven fours and two sixes in his 47-ball innings as the duo chased down a masterclass.
Often criticized for slowing down after the powerplay, Kohli settled the debate with some extraordinary shots as he tackled boundaries in the middle overs never letting the tempo slip.
Needing a win to stay in the playoff race, Kohli and du Plessis gave RCB a fiery start to their chase. The in-form opening pair played some scintillating shots, scoring 64 runs in the first six overs.
Kohli started the proceedings with two hits across the ropes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar before hitting spinner Abhishek Sharma for two more boundaries.
The skipper then joined the party, punishing Karthik Tyagi for bowling him with three fours though he was dropped in the middle of the boundary line by Glenn Phillips.
Kohli then played a brilliant shot over deep extra cover for another four, which took 18 runs in the fourth over.
Du Plessis next collected Bhuvneshwar at deep square leg and followed it up with another four to take RCB to 14 runs in the over.
Knowing full well that net run rate could come into play to decide the top four, Kohli and du Plessis put their foot on the pedal and pulled former player Nitish Reddy over deep mid-off.
Mayank Dagar took an incredible catch at the boundary line but du Plessis survived after the umpire called it a no-ball as Nitish was guilty of bowling a second bouncer.
After two quiet overs, du Plessis hit Abhishek for a six and a four, before Bhuvneshwar came into the firing line, hitting four fours and scoring 18 runs in the 15th over.
Kohli completed his century by hitting another six off Bhuvneshwar before getting out on the next ball. Du Plessis does the trick with a slower delivery from T Natarajan.
After this Glenn Maxwell and Michael Bracewell completed the work.
Earlier, Klaasen stitched a 76-run partnership with Aiden Markram (18) and added 74 off 36 balls with Harry Brook (27 not out) to take SRH to a competitive total.
Already out of the playoff race, SRH once again got off to a poor start with Rahul Tripathi (15) and Abhishek Sharma (11) getting off to a good start.
It was off-spinner Michael Bracewell who struck twice in his first three balls, removing both openers. While Abhishek hits Lomror straight at cover, Tripathi finds the fine leg fielder with his slog paddle sweep.
Klaasen hit Shahbaz Ahmed for three fours to reduce Sunrisers to 49 for two in the powerplay.
Klaasen rocked back and cut the ball short each time as Bracewell and Harshal Patel were sent across the ropes, while Karn Sharma was dispatched for a 74-metre six.
Karn Sharma was then penalized for bowling an over-pitch by Klaasen with his submission into the stands. This South African player completed his fifty in 24 balls.
While Klaasen was in full flow, Markram managed 18 off just one ball before his off-stump was brought back by Shahbaz while looking for a reverse hit.
Brook then hit a four and a six off Karn Sharma, who scored 21, before Klaasen also picked him up over cover.
Du Plessis’ decision to get Shahbaz in the 17th over backfired as Klaasen lofted the first two deliveries over the bowler’s head, while Brook scored a penalty.
Parnell bowled a yorker in the next over for just seven runs but Klaasen then caught Herschel to bring up his century. Looking for another big shot, he got out a ball later.
(With inputs from PTI)
Watch IPL: Kohli, du Plessis show RCB in playoff race