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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally ended their 10-year-long winless curse against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium on April 7 after edging past Hardik Pandya's brigade by 12 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
In a nerve-racking contest RCB had the last laugh while defending a 222-run target riding on Krunal Pandya's gutsy four-fer. Hardik Pandya (15-ball 42) and Tilak Varma (29-ball 56) did give MI some hope with their pyrotechnics in the middle but RCB bowlers tightened screw on MI batters in the end and eked out a well deserved win.
MI find themselves in a precarious position in the IPL standings, currently languishing in the bottom half of the table after suffering defeats in three of their four matches played thus far. For RCB, Monday's victory held particular significance as it marked the end of a frustrating streak of six consecutive losses against MI at the Wankhede Stadium. Their win finally broke a long-standing jinx, with their previous triumph at the venue dating back to a 39-run victory in 2015.
While chasing a colossal target, MI displayed resilience and refused to concede defeat early in their innings. However, their start was shaky as Rohit Sharma was dismissed cheaply for 17 runs, falling victim to Yash Dayal. Josh Hazlewood's effective use of the Decision Review System (DRS) led to the dismissal of Ryan Rickelton, who had looked threatening with four boundaries. Will Jacks contributed 22 runs off 18 balls before Krunal Pandya claimed his wicket.
Suryakumar Yadav struggled to find his usual fluency, scoring 28 runs at a subdued strike rate of 10.69. With 123 runs required in the final 48 balls, Mumbai Indians needed a special effort to reach the target. Skipper Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma then launched a fierce counterattack, reaching their fifty-run partnership in a mere 15 balls. Tilak Varma, who had retired hurt in the previous match against the Lucknow Super Giants, came out with aggressive intent and scored a quickfire 56 runs off 29 deliveries.
The crucial partnership was broken by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who dismissed Tilak after their 89-run stand for the fifth wicket. In the penultimate over, Josh Hazlewood utilized his experience to secure the vital wicket of Hardik Pandya, who had looked dangerous after scoring 42 runs off just 15 balls. With 28 runs needed off the final 12 balls, Hazlewood conceded only nine runs, leaving Mumbai Indians with a challenging 19 runs to win in the last over.
Krunal Pandya started the final over by taking the wicket of Mitchell Santner, who was caught by Tim David at long-on. On the very next delivery, a remarkable piece of fielding at the mid-wicket boundary, involving a juggling catch between Phil Salt and Tim David, resulted in the dismissal of Deepak Chahar for a duck. Following Chahar's wicket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru maintained their composure, restricting Mumbai Indians to 209 for nine as Krunal Pandya held his nerve to secure the victory for his team.
Earlier, fueled by quickfire fifties from their captain, Rajat Patidar, and batting juggernaut Virat Kohli, RCB posted a formidable total of 221/5 against MI. After being asked to bat first, skipper Rajat Patidar took charge, leading from the front with a dazzling innings of 64 runs off just 32 deliveries at the Wankhede Stadium. Earlier in the innings, Virat Kohli had laid a strong foundation with a well-crafted 67 off 42 balls. Devdutt Padikkal also contributed significantly with a quickfire 37 runs from 22 balls, as the RCB batsmen put the Mumbai Indians' bowling attack under considerable pressure.
Later in the innings, Jitesh Sharma provided a late surge, smashing a quick 40 runs off just 19 balls after coming in to bat in the 15th over, ensuring RCB finished their innings on a high. Among MI bowlers, the returning Jasprit Bumrah stood out, delivering an economical spell of four overs while conceding only 29 runs.
RCB will next face Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 10 while MI will also take on the same team but on April 13.
