Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally ended their decade-long drought at the Wankhede Stadium, holding their nerve to clinch a 12-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday. This marked RCB’s first victory at the iconic venue in 10 years.

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Batting first, RCB posted a formidable 221/5, thanks to brisk half-centuries from captain Rajat Patidar (64 off 32) and the ever-reliable Virat Kohli (67 off 42). Finishing the innings in style, Jitesh Sharma added a fiery 40 off 19 balls to push the total past the 220-mark.

Kohli, who has always enjoyed batting at the Wankhede, got off to a slightly scratchy start but soon found his rhythm. His innings featured eight boundaries and two sixes, and he was in complete control until a rare miscue saw him fall in the 15th over, caught at deep midwicket by Naman Dhir off Hardik Pandya.

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Patidar took charge after Kohli’s departure, hammering five fours and four sixes. He especially tore into Hardik in the 17th over, collecting 23 runs, before his entertaining knock ended with a stunning diving catch by Ryan Rickelton near the ropes.

The innings had a fiery foundation as well, with Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 22) adding 91 runs for the second wicket. The pair exploited the powerplay to the fullest, scoring 72/1 in the first six overs—RCB's highest ever powerplay score against MI. Padikkal was aggressive against anything off length and cleared the ropes thrice before falling in the ninth over.

Jasprit Bumrah, returning to action, had a quiet outing, finishing with 0/29 from his four overs, despite bowling with good control.

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In response, MI were in early trouble, with Phil Salt falling in the first over to a swinging delivery from Trent Boult. However, Tilak Varma (56 off 29) and skipper Hardik Pandya (42 off 15) reignited hope with an explosive 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Pandya’s blistering knock brought MI within touching distance of an unlikely win.

But RCB held their nerve in the death overs. Krunal Pandya, in an unexpected twist, was handed the ball for the final over and delivered in spectacular fashion. He picked up three wickets to finish with figures of 4/45, snuffing out MI’s hopes and sealing a memorable win for RCB.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 221/5 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 64, Virat Kohli 67, Devdutt Padikkal 37, Jitesh Sharma 40*; Hardik Pandya 2/45) beat Mumbai Indians: 209/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 56, Hardik Pandya 42; Krunal Pandya 4/45) by 12 runs.

(With inputs from agencies)