Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: The decibel levels at the Wankhede Stadium soared the moment Virat Kohli walked out to bat for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Kohli, helmet on and bat in hand, stopped to kiss the boundary rope before entering the field, sending the crowd into a frenzy.RCB, put into bat by Mumbai Indians, saw the noise level rise further when Kohli struck after a single from his opening partner Phil Salt.
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Rovman Powell reacts after KKR’s heartbreaking home defeat After a dot ball against the fiery Trent Boult, Kohli leaned in and whipped another delivery over square leg for a six to get off the mark, drawing a thunderous applause from the stands.Kohli looked sublime and in the process became the first batsman to score more than 1000 runs against Mumbai Indians in IPL history. He put on a brilliant 120-run opening partnership with Salt, who played an aggressive knock of 78 off 36 balls before being dismissed by Shardul Thakur.Coming into action, Kohli appeared in three matches in IPL 2026, scoring an unbeaten 69 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, followed by a knock of 28 against Chennai Super Kings and 32 against Rajasthan Royals.Earlier, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field. MI made two changes, bringing in Mitchell Santner and Mayank Markande in place of AM Ghazanfar and Deepak Chahar.Meanwhile, RCB captain Rajat Patidar has included Jacob Duffy in the playing XI to replace Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood.teams:Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (week), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (captain), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande.Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.
