From left, Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma of MI and Virat Kohli and Phil Salt of RCB. (PTI photo) NEW DELHI: A clash between India’s two current greats rarely disappoints and Sunday’s IPL 2026 showdown at the Wankhede Stadium produced a moment fans will cherish beyond the result.When Virat Kohli walked out to bat, fully focused with the bat resting on his shoulder, Rohit Sharma called him out of the field. What followed was a brief but heartwarming interaction between the two icons – a quick meet and greet that instantly went viral and sparked admiration on social media.The gesture, filled with mutual respect and camaraderie, became one of the highlights of the match and reminded fans of the bond shared by two legends who defined an era of Indian cricket.WATCH:Kohli and Rohit are injury fearsBoth stalwarts made their presence felt in the competition. Kohli anchored Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s innings with a composed 50 off 38 balls, while Rohit looked fluent in 19 off 13 balls before being forced off with a hamstring problem.In a twist of symmetry, even Kohli didn’t field during MI’s chase after sustaining an ankle problem, adding a layer of worry to both teams despite the clash living up to expectations.Salt, Patidar power RCB to a massive totalRCB’s batting dominance was led by Phil Salt who smashed an incredible 78 off 36 balls and shared 120 runs with Kohli. Captain Rajat Patidar then took the lead with a 53 off just 20 balls while Tim David finished strong with an unbeaten 34.“The way Virat and Salt started the innings, I think that kept us in the driver’s seat… it was a pure team effort,” Patidar said after the match.RCB amassed an impressive 240/4, putting MI under immediate pressure.MI falls short despite late fightMI’s chase started brightly but lost steam after Rohit’s early departure. Suyash Sharma struck the crucial blows while Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) looked to revive hopes.“I think…we were catching up rather than leading in the game,” admitted Pandya.A late unbeaten 71 from Sherfan Rutherford, including four sixes in the final over, was not enough as MI finished on 222/5.
