Sports Desk
7 April
Sandeep Dhand
Journalist & Research Analysist
In a high-voltage encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off a thrilling 12-run victory over hosts Mumbai Indians (MI) today. The match was full of excitement, big hits, and standout performances from both sides, but in the end, RCB held their nerves better to seal the win.
Chasing a massive target of 222 runs, Mumbai Indians fell short despite some powerful batting. They managed to score 209 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs. Tilak Varma was the top scorer for MI with a blazing knock of 56 runs from just 29 balls. Skipper Hardik Pandya also played a quickfire innings, scoring 42 runs in only 15 balls, hitting 3 fours and 4 sixes.
Other useful contributions came from Suryakumar Yadav (28), Will Jacks (22), and both Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, who scored 17 runs each. However, RCB’s bowlers did a brilliant job under pressure. Krunal Pandya was the most successful bowler, taking 4 important wickets. Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal picked up 2 wickets each, while senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipped in with 1 wicket.
Earlier in the evening, Mumbai Indians won the toss and decided to bowl first. RCB’s openers took full advantage of the batting-friendly conditions and set the tone early. Virat Kohli led from the front with a fantastic knock of 67 runs off 42 balls. He was well supported by captain Rajat Patidar, who smashed 64 runs off 32 balls, including 5 fours and 4 sixes.
Kohli reached another milestone during the match. He became the first Indian cricketer to score 13,000 runs in T20 cricket and only the fifth player in the world to achieve this feat. This was also Kohli’s second half-century of the season.
Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma also played a fiery cameo, scoring 40 runs in just 19 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes. Devdutt Padikkal added 37 runs from 22 balls, while Phil Salt could only manage 4 runs. Thanks to these contributions, RCB posted a huge total of 221 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
RCB made the most of the powerplay, scoring their highest ever in the first six overs — 72/1. They collected 20 runs in the final over of the powerplay, setting the momentum for a big total.
For MI, Trent Boult and Hardik Pandya took 2 wickets each, while Vignesh Puthur managed to grab one. However, their bowlers couldn’t control the run flow, allowing RCB to build a huge total.
In the end, despite Mumbai’s brave chase, RCB’s total proved too much. With this win, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have gained valuable points and momentum in the tournament, while Mumbai Indians will look to bounce back stronger in the upcoming games.