Bengaluru Edges Out Mumbai in Thrilling IPL Match

Royal Challengers Bengaluru survived a late batting blitz from Mumbai Indians to win a thrilling IPL match by 12 runs.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru edged out Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Monday, spoiling Jasprit Bumrah's return from injury. Mumbai named Bumrah in their XI after the India bowler recovered from a back injury that kept him out for three months.

Bengaluru's Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar struck half-centuries, scoring 67 and 64 respectively, to guide their team to 221-5 after being invited to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium. In response, Mumbai's Hardik Pandya hit a 15-ball 42, and Tilak Varma scored 56, but the five-time champions fell short, finishing on 209-9.

Mumbai's late surge was led by Hardik Pandya, but Bengaluru's spinners ultimately proved to be the difference-makers. Krunal Pandya, Hardik's elder brother and a left-arm spinner, bowled the final over with aplomb, taking three wickets, including two on the first two balls, to seal Bengaluru's victory. Krunal finished with figures of 4-45, helping Bengaluru secure their third win in four matches.

Patidar was named player of the match, but said, “This award goes to the bowling unit. It is not easy to stop any team, especially at this ground, and the way they have done it, was incredible.”

“The way the fast bowlers executed their plans was amazing. The way KP (Krunal Pandya) bowled that last over, it was not easy and the way he bowled was amazing. The way he has shown the courage was fantastic.”

Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeat Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium for the first time in 10 years 😤💪#TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/tq9c8C3KON

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) April 7, 2025

Mumbai's innings stumbled to 99-4, with former captain Rohit Sharma falling for 17. However, Hardik Pandya and left-handed Tilak Varma combined for a crucial 89-run partnership, unleashing a flurry of fours and sixes to revive their team's chances.

The momentum shifted when Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Varma, and Australia's Josh Hazlewood followed up by taking down Hardik Pandya in the 19th over, his second wicket of the match. This blow derailed Mumbai's chase. Left-arm medium-pace bowler Yash Dayal also chipped in with two key scalps, including Rohit Sharma, who was bowled for 17 after entering as an impact substitute, and Suryakumar Yadav, who fell for 28.

Bumrah's Impact and Kohli's Brilliance

Earlier, Hardik Pandya took two wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah registered figures of 0-29 in Bengaluru's massive total. “Having him (Bumrah) makes any team in the world very special,” Hardik said of his pace ace. “He came in and did his job, very happy to have him.”

Kohli lost opening partner Phil Salt early, but he soon took charge, hitting regular boundaries. He put on 91 runs for the second wicket with Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 37 off 22 balls, and reached his fifty off 29 balls with a six.

After Padikkal fell, Kohli partnered with Rajat Patidar, adding 48 runs until Hardik struck back, sending Kohli and then Liam Livingstone back-to-back. Patidar then joined Jitesh Sharma, who hit an unbeaten 40, and the two hammered 69 runs off 27 balls, with Jitesh finishing strongly despite a disciplined last over from Bumrah.