Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore (240/4 in 20 overs) beat Mumbai Indians (222/5 in 20 overs) by 18 runs on Sunday in Mumbai. highlighted | Achievement:
It was a night of some vintage music at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12. Fans and players start the game Remembering the late great Asha BhosleAnd his classic numbers kept echoing in the stadium during the match. But when it came to RCB’s batting, it was complete rock and roll.
And the repetition came in the form of a sudden siege – RCB, the RCB mantra that sank Mumbai that day and handed them their third consecutive defeat. On the same ground, RCB made their title aspirations clear in 2025 with a spectacular win against MI. Wankhede is the same venue where he scored 235 runs for the loss of one wicket in 2015. And tonight, they made it a little more. Correction, a little more salt-y.
The defending champions were looking to bounce back from form after their defeat to Vaibhav Suryavanshi and RR in their last game. MI had also received a similar treatment and were looking to bounce back after two consecutive defeats.
Winning the toss is always seen as an advantage and Hardik Pandya took advantage of this and decided to bowl first. Given his poor form in 2026, the opportunity to bowl to Phil Salt was considered good for the MI bowlers. Kohli, on the other hand, looked to be in good form and raring to go.
The star batsman started by hitting a six off the third ball and then, suddenly, it seemed as if magically the form transferred from Kohli to Salt as the Englishman started going frantic at the Wankhede.
Salt Pepper Spinners
Wankhede is seen as a graveyard for bowlers, and if you are a spinner, the chances of coming back with good figures are slim. Hardik got a chance to call Mitchell Santner and Salt welcomed him with a hat-trick of sixes and a four.
Mayank Markandey also got a similar treatment on the night, hitting three fours and then a six off his first three balls. Salt completed his half-century in just 50 balls and it was a relief for him after a poor start to the season.
MI’s powerplay bowling has been a real concern for them this season, and their inability to stop Salt meant RCB reached 95 runs in 8 overs.
Kohli’s day off
While Salt worked hard to find runs, at the other end it seemed like Kohli was unable to find any kind of rhythm. Over the years, Kohli’s change in approach has been seen as a benchmark for the rest of the giants on how to reinvent themselves.
After starting with some great shots, Kohli’s striking faltered and by the first strategic break, he looked like just a passenger as Salt took control.
As the break ended, Kohli raised hopes by hitting a few fours, but as Salt was out for 78 off 36 balls, he collapsed once again.
Thankfully for RCB, Rajat Patidar came in like a passionate man and attacked the bowlers fiercely from the start. MI usually makes their way into contests during the middle overs, but the RCB skipper made sure that was not the case.
He dismissed Mayank Markandey for 20 runs and then Shardul Thakur for 23 runs. At one time it seemed that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record of fastest half-century was in serious danger.
When Patidar came in, Kohli was on 39 runs after 11 overs and by the end of the 14th over the difference was just three runs. Kohli completed his half-century but was out soon after. And the reaction said a thousand words.
While returning, he threw away his gloves and helmet in agony. It is not possible to always commit to the same method, and this may have been a pitfall for Kohli.
Do MI have a Bumrah issue?
On paper, MI is a world-class team, and their crown jewel is Jasprit Bumrah. But recently his exploits have not yielded the desired results.
In his last five matches, he has remained wicketless – his longest such streak since he started playing in the IPL.
The effect of Bumrah’s poor performance can also be felt on the rest of the bowlers, who continued to give away runs even after Patidar completed his half-century. He was also joined by former MI player Tim David, who first dismissed Hardik in the 18th over and then Bumrah in the 19th over.
After this he ended the matter by hitting a six on the last ball and RCB scored 240 runs.
Rohit’s sad day
That day was celebrated as the Battle of Ro-Ko, and rightly so. They are two of the biggest names in Indian cricket currently, but by their standards both had a disappointing day. Rohit started as second partner to Ryan Rickelton, who hit some big shots and ensured MI maintained the run rate early on. However, it felt as if MI were always playing catch-up.
“We are planning about how to gain momentum in the powerplay. Whether batting or bowling, we are holding in the powerplay. A lot of options will be asked and given in the next game,” Hardik said.
Rohit took the innings forward by hitting a six and two fours on Duffy in the fourth over. But then, the former MI captain started struggling with hamstring problems And left the field.
This coincided with a sudden drop in the pace of Mumbai, which had lost its way. Rickelton’s stay ended in the eighth over and Tilak Verma’s poor form continued as Suyyash dismissed both the players. There was a brief phase of resistance or rather defiance from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, who stitched a 47-run partnership. But Krunal came back to haunt his former team as he dismissed Suryakumar and pushed MI into further disarray.
Once Hardik was out in the 15th over, the writing was on the wall. This was a recurring issue, which was also seen during the loss to RR, where the scoreboard pressure started to bother them. The first game against KKR now looks like a false dawn for the five-time champions, as overcoming early match trouble hasn’t helped them in any meaningful way.
Despite the presence of T20 World Cup winners in the lineup, the middle order seems to be lacking both form and firepower. There was hope in the form of Sherfane Rutherford, who fought alone in the end and scored 71 runs in 31 balls, which included nine sixes.
For RCB, they got the win and got their season back on track, and will now return home to face LSG on Wednesday, April 15.
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Published on:
April 12, 2026 23:57 IST
