Images from the IPL 2025 match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on scintillating fifties from Virat Kohli (67) and skipper Rajat Patidar (64) to post a huge 221/5 against Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2025 match in Mumbai on Monday.
Kohli ruled the roost with a 42-ball 67 which gave RCB early impetus in Jasprit Bumrah's (0/29) comeback game. Later on, Patidar smashed a blistering 32-ball 64, hitting four sixes and five fours, while Jitesh Sharma entertained with a splendid cameo of 40 from 19 balls, with four sixes and two fours to dismantle the MI attack in the final few overs.
Put into bat, RCB suffered an early blow when Phil Salt (4) played across the line to an inswinger from Trent Boult (2/57) to be bowled off an inside edge in the first over.
Unfazed by the early blow, RCB recorded their highest powerplay score against Mumbai Indians by scoring 72/1, as both Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 22 balls) went all guns blazing.
The momentum had swayed RCB's way before MI introduced Bumrah in the fourth over, and Kohli welcomed his India teammate with a six over midwicket.
Going at nearly 10 an over, RCB collected 20 runs off the final over in the Powerplay from Deepak Chahar as Padikkal tore into the India bowler, smacking two sixes and a four.
RCB's onslaught had also left MI clueless for a while, as Will Jacks was brought on to bowl inside the Powerplay and was duly punished for 10 runs.
Padikkal was severe on any MI bowler who erred in his length, smashing three sixes and two fours before he was caught at long-on miscuing the lofted shot off spinner Vignesh Puthur in the ninth over. By then however, he had added 91 runs off 52 balls with Kohli for the second wicket to set the tone for the visitors.
Kohli has had significant success with the bat at Wankhede Stadium and Monday was no different -- if he began with a few unconvincing boundaries, his exquisite drive through covers off Boult in the third over showed he was up for a big knock.
Kohli capitalised on every opportunity to score, whether it was picking gaps with ease or his immaculate running between the wickets.
Having completed 13,000 runs to move into unchartered territory for any Indian in the format in a little over 400 matches, a century appeared on the horizon.
But, in the 15th over, Kohli uncharacteristically walked across the crease to heave Pandya over the leg side but holed out to Naman Dhir at deep midwicket, as his innings ended with two sixes and eight fours.
Patidar was belligerent with his strokes down the ground as well as behind the wicket, bringing up his fifty off only 25 balls. He struck MI skipper Hardik Pandya for 23 runs in the 17th over.
Patidar's innings ended in the penultimate over when a top edge was grabbed near the ropes by a diving Ryan Rickelton in what was one of the most spectacular catches of this IPL season.