Skipper Jitesh Sharma hammered an unbeaten 85 and Virat Kohli hit 54 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into qualifier 1 of the IPL playoffs with a six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants.

Starting strokes will be eliminated from the season-ending Tour Championship, with the 30-man playoff finale being played as a 72-hole stroke-play tournament.