Mumbai: Phil Salt's explosive 78 and Rajat Patidar's blistering 53, backed by disciplined bowling, propelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru to an 18-run victory over five-time champions Mumbai Indians in IPL Match 20 at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Salt and Patidar unleashed a barrage of sixes, with Virat Kohli's steady 50 helping RCB post a daunting 240/4 in 20 overs. MI's chase of the Wankhede record unravelled after Rohit Sharma retired hurt on 19 (13 balls) with a hamstring injury. Sherfane Rutherford's unbeaten 71 off 31 (9 sixes) fought valiantly, supported by Hardik Pandya's 40 and Ryan Rickelton's 37, but MI finished at 222/5—their third straight loss.
RCB climbed to third on the points table with six points from four games, trailing Rajasthan Royals (8) and Punjab Kings (7). The match dragged due to injury delays and no-ball reviews, testing fans' patience.
Rickelton and Rohit raced to 62/0 in the powerplay, but Rohit's exit sparked a collapse. Rickelton fell for 37 (22 balls, 3x4, 3x6) off Suyash Sharma, soon followed by Tilak Varma (1). Suryakumar Yadav's 33 (22) offered brief hope, but MI slumped to 145/4 by the 15th over, needing 93 off five. Rutherford's late assault fell short.
Opting to bat, Salt and Kohli opened with a 100-run stand. Salt demolished Mitchell Santner for 22 in an over (3x6, 1x4) and raced to 50 off 25 balls before holing out for 78 (36 balls, 6x4, 6x6). Patidar erupted with three sixes off Mayank Markande, blasting 53 off 20 (4x4, 5x6). Kohli crawled to 50 (38 balls) before both fell, but Tim David's unbeaten 34 (16) pushed RCB to 240/4.
Brief scores
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240/4 (20 overs) (Phil Salt 78, Rajat Patidar 53, Virat Kohli 50, Tim David 34*; Shardul Thakur 1/32, Hardik Pandya 1/39) beat Mumbai Indians 222/5 (20 overs) (Sherfane Rutherford 71*, Hardik Pandya 40; Suyash Sharma 2/47, Krunal Pandya 1/26) by 18 runs.
(Inputs from IANS)