Brief Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (240/4 in 20 overs) beat Mumbai Indians (222/5 in 20 overs) by 18 runs in Mumbai on Sunday.
It was a night full of music at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday 12 April. The fans and players started the game by remembering the late great Asha Bhosle and her classic numbers rang out through the stadium during the match. But when it came to RCB’s batting, it was nothing but pure rock and roll.
And the encore came in the form of a sudden siege – RCB, RCB chants that drowned out Mumbai on the day, handing them their third straight loss. It was at this venue that RCB made their 2025 title aspirations clear by claiming a win against MI. The Wankhede was also the venue where they scored 235 for the loss of one wicket in 2015. And they did a bit more of that tonight. Correction, a little more Salt-y.
The defending champions were looking to bounce back from the hammering they received from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and RR in their previous game. MI also received similar treatment and struggled to bounce back after two back-to-back losses.
Winning the toss is always seen as an advantage and Hardik Pandya got to the green and opted to bowl first. Given his poor form in 2026, the chance to play Phil Salt was seen as a good opportunity for the MI bowler. Kohli, on the other hand, looked in good touch and didn’t want to go.
The star batsman started with a six off the third ball and then suddenly it looked as if the form had magically transferred from Kohli to Salt as the Englishman went on a rampage at the Wankhede.
SALT PEPPER THREE
Wankhede is seen as a bowler’s graveyard and if you are a spinner, the chances of returning with decent figures are rare. Hardik had the luxury of calling on Mitchell Santner and Salt welcomed him with a hat-trick of sixes and boundaries.
Mayank Markande also received similar treatment on the night as he dropped three boundaries off his first three balls followed by a six. Salt reached his fifty in just 50 balls and it was a welcome relief for him after a rather underwhelming start to the season.
MI’s powerplay bowling has been a real worry for them this season and the inability to stop Salt meant that RCB raced to 95 runs in 8 overs.
KOHLI’S VACATION
While Salt was looking hard for runs, at the other end it looked like Kohli just couldn’t find any rhythm. Over the past few years, Kohli’s change in approach has been seen as a benchmark for the rest of the veterans to reinvent themselves.
After starting with some brilliant shots, Kohli’s batting fell off and he seemed to be a passenger until the first strategic break when Salt took control.
Once the break was over, Kohli hit a couple of boundaries to raise hopes, but once Salt was dismissed for 78 off 36 balls, he went into a shell again.
Fortunately for RCB, Rajat Patidar came in like a man possessed and attacked the bowlers hard right from the start. MI usually got into contests during the middle overs but the RCB skipper ensured that nothing like that happened.
He dismissed Mayank Markande for 20 runs and then Shardul Thakur for 23. At one point, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fastest fifty appeared to be under serious threat.
When Patidar came on, Kohli was on 39 after 11 overs and the difference was just three runs at the end of the 14th over. Kohli got a fifty but was dismissed soon after and the reaction spoke a thousand words.
On the way back, he threw away his gloves and helmet in anguish. It is not always possible to stay true to the same method and for Kohli it may have been just a mistake.
DO I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BUMRAH?
On paper, MI are world class and their crown jewel is Jasprit Bumrah. But recently his actions did not bring the desired results.
He has remained wicketless in his last five games – the longest such stretch since he started playing in the IPL.
The effect of Bumrah being off color was felt on the rest of the bowlers who continued to run away as Patidar reached his fifty. They were joined by former MI player Tim David, who first faced Hardik in the 18th over and then Bumrah in the 19th over.
He then finished things off with a six off the last ball as RCB posted 240 runs.
ROHIT’S LHOTEN DAY
The day was billed as a Ro-Ko battle, and rightfully so. They are the two biggest names in Indian cricket at the moment, but both had an underwhelming day by their standards.
Rohit started second fiddle to Ryan Rickelton who hit some big shots and ensured MI kept pace with the run rate early on.
Rohit got going in the fourth over with a six off Duffy and a couple of boundaries. But then the former MI captain started struggling with paralysis problem and left the field.
This coincided with a sudden drop in momentum for Mumbai, who lost their way. The eighth over ended Rickelton’s stay and Tilak Varma’s poor form continued as Suyash took both men.
There was a brief phase of resistance – or rather defiance – from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, who put on 47 runs together. But Krunal stepped in to haunt his former side, dismissing Suryakumar and throwing MI further into disarray.
Once Hardik was dismissed in the 15th, the writing was on the wall. This was a recurring problem that was also seen during the loss to RR when the pressure to score came back to haunt them.
The first match against KKR now seems like a false dawn for the five-time champions as the opening match finish did not help them in any significant way.
The middle-order seems to lack both form and firepower, despite the presence of the T20 World Cup winners in the line-up.
They got the win and the season back on track for RCB and they now head home to face LSG on Wednesday, April 15.
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Published on:
12 Apr 2026 23:57 IST
