Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, and Virat Kohli all struck brilliant fifties as the title holders defeated Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in their IPL 2026 encounter at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Salt (78 from 36 deliveries) and Kohli (50 from 38 deliveries) combined for a magnificent 120-run opening partnership before Patidar unleashed a blistering 53 from merely 20 deliveries, propelling RCB to 240 for 4. Chasing the target, Mumbai Indians managed only 222 for 5, as RCB’s spin bowler Suyash Sharma (2/47) delivered a decisive blow with two wickets in the eighth over, leaving the hosts unable to recover. Sherfane Rutherford emerged as MI’s top scorer with an explosive unbeaten 71 from 31 deliveries. Opening batsman Rohit Sharma seemed troubled by a hamstring injury and retired hurt on 19, while his partner Ryan Rickelton contributed 37. Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) were among the other notable scorers for MI. Royal Challengers Bengaluru regained winning moments after thrashing Mumbai Indians .
TOSS-
Mumbai Indians won the toss and chose to bowl first.
PLAYING XI-
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI):
Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI):
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU-
RCB enjoyed a spectacular beginning, powered by Salt’s attacking display. Trent Boult struggled with his line and length while Mitchell Santner, brought into the attack during the Powerplay, also proved expensive. Together, they surrendered 46 runs across three overs, as Salt unleashed boundaries freely, including three consecutive sixes against Santner. Bumrah’s two-over spell cost just 16 runs, and Hardik Pandya’s single over went for 9, providing some relief, though RCB reached 71 for 0 after six overs. Despite the fielding restrictions ending, Salt maintained his aggressive approach, striking four consecutive boundaries and a six off Mayank Markande, with the first four helping him reach a 25-ball half-century. Kohli found his rhythm gradually before launching two boundaries off Santner, pushing RCB beyond 100 in the ninth over. At the ten-over mark, RCB stood at 115 for 0.
Kohli contributed 38 runs to the 120-run opening stand with Salt. Though Shardul Thakur broke the partnership by removing the England batsman, MI’s relief proved short-lived. The reason: Patidar’s explosive arrival. Three maximums in Markande’s over, another six off Thakur, plus several boundaries maintained RCB’s momentum as they surpassed 150 in the 13th over. Kohli reached his fifty in 37 balls but fell to Hardik shortly after, with the MI captain’s economical four-run over initiating a quieter phase.
Patidar achieved a 17-ball fifty – his personal best and RCB’s joint second-fastest – with a boundary off Santner before the spinner responded by dismissing the RCB skipper. Santner mounted an impressive comeback after conceding 22 runs from his opening four deliveries, restricting the next 20 balls to just 21 runs while claiming a wicket. The 200-run milestone arrived in the 17th over – a tight seven-run over from Bumrah – with only 18 runs scored between overs 15-17. Tim David smashed a four and a six off a free-hit in the 18th over, bowled by Hardik, yielding 16 runs. Bumrah also conceded a four and six to David in the 19th over, remaining wicketless once more, and the Australian finished the innings with a six off Boult.
MUMBAI INDIANS-
MI made a strong Powerplay push – 62 for 0. With Josh Hazlewood absent from RCB’s lineup for this match, Jacob Duffy returned but endured a costly beginning, conceding 28 runs in his first two overs. Ryan Rickelton led the charge, striking three sixes and three fours, while Rohit Sharma also found the boundary twice and cleared it once. However, just as the Powerplay concluded, Rohit appeared hampered by his hamstring and retired hurt. Suyash Sharma then delivered a crucial double blow in the eighth over, removing both Rickelton and Tilak Varma. After 10 overs, MI stood at 99/2, with Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik building a promising partnership.
The partnership didn’t flourish. Suryakumar departed to Krunal Pandya, and the required rate climbed beyond 17 after the 14th over – despite Hardik finding the boundary (after Krunal dropped a chance) and Sherfane Rutherford clearing the ropes, both victims of Suyash who concluded with 2 for 47. The mounting pressure claimed Hardik’s wicket, caught at deep backward point off Duffy, while Naman Dhir followed soon after. Romario Shepherd nearly dismissed Rutherford first ball but had overstepped. A disciplined over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar left MI requiring 75 from the final three overs, which became 54 from 12 balls after Rutherford smashed three sixes in a 21-run over off Duffy. However, Bhuvneshwar’s economical 9-run 19th over meant MI needed 45 from the last over. Rutherford launched four sixes off Shepherd in the final over, finishing with a magnificent 31-ball 71 not out, but could only minimize the defeat margin.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240/4 in 20 overs [Philip Salt 78 (36), Rajat Patidar 53 (20), Virat Kohli 50 (38); Hardik Pandya 1-39] beat Mumbai Indians 222/5 in 20 overs [Sherfane Rutherford 71* (31), Hardik Pandya 40 (22); Suyash Sharma 2-47] by 18 runs.
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