In a high-voltage IPL 2025 clash at Wankhede Stadium, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally broke their 10-year losing streak in Mumbai by defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 12 runs. Despite a late fiery assault by Hardik Pandya, Mumbai fell short in their chase of 222.
Batting first, RCB posted 221/5 in 20 overs, thanks to stellar performances from Virat Kohli (67 off 42) and captain Rajat Patidar (64 off 32). Kohli reached a historic milestone during his knock, becoming the first Indian batsman to score 13,000 runs in T20 cricket.
Patidar kept the momentum going after Kohli’s dismissal and was well supported by Jitesh Sharma, who stayed unbeaten on 40 off 19 balls, smashing 2 fours and 4 sixes.
In response, Mumbai Indians could manage only 209/9. Despite aggressive efforts from Pandya and Tilak Varma, RCB’s bowling unit held its nerves.
Chasing 222, MI needed a blazing start. Rohit Sharma tried but was bowled by Yash Dayal for 17 runs. Riyan Rickelton and Will Jacks got starts but couldn’t convert.
The spotlight shifted to Suryakumar Yadav, who anchored MI’s innings briefly with a 28-run knock before getting dismissed again by Dayal.
Then came Hardik Pandya, who launched a massive counter-attack—smashing 22 runs in a single over off Josh Hazlewood, followed by more fireworks against his brother Krunal Pandya.
With Tilak Varma also firing (56 off 29), Mumbai looked in control. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Tilak at a crucial moment, and Hazlewood removed Hardik in the 19th over to turn the game in RCB's favor.
Needing 19 runs off the final over, Krunal Pandya stepped up with the ball for RCB. He dismissed Mitchell Santner and Deepak Chahar on consecutive deliveries and defended the rest with ease to clinch a famous win.
Earlier, Mumbai won the toss and chose to bowl. RCB had an early hiccup as Phil Salt was dismissed after hitting a boundary on the first ball. But Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 22) stitched a solid 91-run stand.
After Padikkal’s dismissal, Kohli was joined by Patidar, and the duo decimated MI’s bowling. Hardik managed to remove both Kohli and Livingstone in one over, but Patidar ensured RCB stayed on top.
Patidar’s power-hitting, supported by Jitesh Sharma, took RCB to a daunting total that proved just enough in the end.
