Rohit - Tuesday, Apr 08, 2025The IPL 2025 clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Wankhede Stadium was a rollercoaster of emotions, ending with RCB clinching a 12-run victory in a nail-biting finish. RCB posted a formidable 221/5, powered by fifties from Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, while MI’s chase saw a dramatic turnaround led by Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, only to falter in the final over. Here’s a rundown of the key moments that defined this high-octane encounter.
RCB came out swinging after losing Phil Salt early to Trent Boult. Virat Kohli (67 off 42) steadied the ship, racing to a 29-ball fifty and stitching a 91-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal (out to Vignesh Puthur). Captain Rajat Patidar then took charge, smashing 64 off 32, while Jitesh Sharma’s unbeaten 40 off 19 provided the late fireworks. Hardik Pandya briefly disrupted RCB’s flow, dismissing Kohli and Liam Livingstone in the 15th over, but their 221/5 looked daunting on Wankhede’s batting-friendly deck.
MI’s bowling struggled to contain RCB’s firepower. Jasprit Bumrah’s return was a boost, but he couldn’t stop the onslaught entirely. Pandya’s double strike offered hope, yet RCB’s depth ensured they set a steep target.
Chasing 222, MI needed a blazing start, but it didn’t quite happen. Rohit Sharma, back from injury, blasted a quickfire cameo—scoring briskly in the first 13 balls—before Yash Dayal sent him packing. The powerplay belonged to RCB’s bowlers, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood keeping MI’s big guns quiet. Spinners Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya then tightened the screws, leaving Suryakumar Yadav stuck and eventually dismissed by Dayal.
At one point, MI looked dead in the water. Their overseas batsmen, Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton, failed to fire, and the middle order couldn’t find rhythm. With three losses in four games already, the five-time champions seemed headed for another defeat—until a stunning fightback changed the script.
Just when all seemed lost, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma flipped the game on its head. Their partnership rocketed past 50 in a mere 16 balls, with Pandya (42 off 15) unleashing a barrage of boundaries and Varma playing the perfect foil. MI’s dugout buzzed with hope as the required rate dropped, and the Wankhede crowd roared back to life. For a moment, it felt like MI might pull off a heist.
But the tide turned again. Josh Hazlewood struck in the 18th over, removing Pandya and halting the momentum. Varma fell soon after, and with 19 needed off the final over, MI’s tail faced a near-impossible task against Krunal Pandya’s clutch bowling.
The last over was pure drama. Krunal Pandya, Hardik’s brother, stepped up for RCB with MI needing 19. He started with a bang, dismissing Mitchell Santner (caught by Tim David at long-off) and Deepak Chahar (a tag-team catch by Phil Salt and David) off consecutive balls. A wide gave MI a flicker of hope, and Naman Dhir’s sliced four over third man kept them alive, but Krunal held his nerve. He snagged Dhir (caught by Yash Dayal at fine leg) and closed with a dot to Jasprit Bumrah, sealing RCB’s 12-run win.
MI finished at 209/9, a valiant effort that fell short. RCB’s bowlers—Hazlewood, Kumar, Dayal, and Krunal—stood tall, while MI rued missed chances and a top order that couldn’t build on Rohit’s start.
RCB’s third win of IPL 2025 propelled them toward the top of the table, while MI’s second loss in five games left their campaign teetering. A match of twists, standout knocks, and a thrilling finish—Wankhede witnessed it all.
That was a really amazing match. the way the bowlers have shown courage, it was amazing. To be honest, this award goes to the bowling unit because it's not easy to stop a batting unit on this ground, so the credit goes to them. The way the fast bowlers executed their plans was great. The way Krunal has bowled was amazing. In the last over, it was not easy, I think the way he has bowled and the courage he has shown is amazing. At that time it was clear that we have to take the game deep. So, the discussion was to take the game deep and use KP's one over at the last. The wicket was good and the ball was coming on nicely to the bat. After the Hardik Pandya over, I went all out. The wrist spinner is one of the main bowlers because they are wicket-taking and the way he bowled was great. Rajat Patidar, POTM
It was a run-fest. The wicket was really good. I was just talking about that to myself that again we fell short with two hits, I don't have much to say. (Was 221 par or above-par?) The way the wicket was, the bowers didn't really have much place to hide. It came down to execution. You can stop the batters but I don't want to be harsh on the bowlers. It was a tough track, not many options we had. (No. 3 position) The original skeleton of our team, Naman was always batting down the order. It's just that in the last game, Ro wasn't available, so we had to push someone up and someone like him has the multi-dimensional game where he can come up as well and can play in the death as well. Once Ro was back, we knew that Naman would have to come down. Tilak was fantastic. Last game, a lot of things happened. People made a lot of things about it but people don't know that he had a very nasty hit previous day. It was a tactical call but because of the finger which he had, the coach just felt that that was a better option that someone fresh can come and do it. Today, he was fantastic. In this sort of games, powerplays are very crucial. Couple of overs we were not able to get in the middle, that put us back in the chase. It comes down to execution in the death - we were not able to play those balls. Having him (Bumrah) makes any team in the world very special. He came in and did his job, very happy to have him. In life, never back down, always see the positive side of it. Go out there, try to play the best cricket of your life and back yourself. We are all backing them, just hope for the result to come our way. Hardik Pandya, MI skipper
