IPL 2026: Phil Salt’s 78, Virat Kohli’s fifty hand RCB 3rd win after edging MI by 18 runs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru put on a strong all-round show to beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in their IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

It was a complete team effort from RCB. Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar led the charge with the bat, while Suyash Sharma picked up two wickets. Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam and Jacob Duffy chipped in with one wicket each.

RCB's batting

Batting first, RCB posted a massive 240/4, thanks to half-centuries from Kohli (50), Salt (78) and Patidar (53). Salt and Kohli gave the team a flying start, adding 120 runs for the first wicket. While Kohli played a steady role, Salt took the attack to the bowlers' right from the start.

Kohli got going early with a stylish flick for six off Trent Boult, but it was Salt who really pushed the scoring rate. He played his shots freely, hitting Boult and Hardik Pandya for boundaries. He also went after Mitchell Santner, smashing him for three sixes in one over.

RCB raced to 50 in just 4.2 overs, putting Mumbai under pressure early. Even when Jasprit Bumrah was brought back during the power play, the momentum stayed with RCB, who reached 71 without much trouble.

Salt continued his aggressive approach, taking on Mayank Markande with ease. Mumbai finally got a breakthrough when Shardul Thakur dismissed Salt for 78, ending the big opening stand.

Patidar then kept the pressure on. He played a brilliant knock, reaching his fifty in just 17 balls. He attacked the bowlers, especially Markande, hitting three sixes in a row. His quick scoring made sure RCB didn’t lose momentum in the middle overs.

Kohli brought up his half-century but was dismissed soon after for a 37-ball 50. Santner came back well later in his spell and managed to get Patidar out for 53.

At the end, Tim David added a quick unbeaten 35 off just 16 balls to take RCB to a strong total.

MI's chase

In reply, the Mumbai Indians never really got going. Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt early after struggling with his movement, which was a big blow for the team.

Suryakumar Yadav and Ryan Rickelton tried to rebuild the innings with a 72-run partnership. Rickelton was eventually dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Tilak Varma couldn’t make an impact and got out cheaply. Captain Hardik Pandya played a quick knock of 40 off 22 balls to keep Mumbai in the game, but wickets kept falling at regular intervals.

Suryakumar got out when MI were still far behind the target, and Naman Dhir also fell soon after. Sherfane Rutherford tried to fight back with some big hits, but the required rate was too high by then.

With too many runs needed in the final over, Mumbai couldn’t pull off the chase, and RCB sealed a well-deserved win to register their third victory of the season.