Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed to 240/4 in their 20 overs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday against Mumbai Indians, powered by rapid half-centuries from Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, capped off by a late onslaught from Tim David.
Star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who ended up wicketless, continues his search for a maiden wicket in the ongoing edition of the T20 franchise league as former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin backed the seasoned seamer.
The lack of wickets narrative for Bumrah can hamper the teams cause!
Him nailing yorkers and choking the opposition for every single run is even more important than him looking to get wickets, especially in venues like the Wankhede.
When you can’t bowl overs on the trot, your…
— Ashwin 🇮🇳
(@ashwinravi99) April 12, 2026
“The lack of wickets narrative for Bumrah can hamper the teams cause!”
“Him nailing yorkers and choking the opposition for every single run is even more important than him looking to get wickets, especially in venues like the Wankhede.”
“When you can’t bowl overs on the trot, your wicket taking ability depends on your partners who hand the over to you.”
“We have had so many years of T20 cricket now & bowling in partnerships as a defensive group is still a seed in the minds of bowling groups,” he added.
“Malinga nailed it, when he spoke during the 10th over mark,” said Ashwin as he alluded to Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga’s mid-time chat with the commentary box.
Asked to bat first by MI skipper Hardik Pandya, RCB made a blazing start as Kohli and Salt raced to 70 runs in the powerplay. Salt reached his fifty at a brisk pace, first going after Mitch Santner and then worsening Mumbai’s woes by attacking Mayank Markande to push the scoring rate even higher.
Kohli took Bengaluru past 100 with a boundary, while Salt continued to dominate with strokes to all parts of the ground. Shardul Thakur finally removed the England batter, but captain Rajat Patidar walked in with clear attacking intent, unleashing a flurry of big shots against the MI bowlers.
Kohli brought up his half-century off 38 balls before falling to Pandya, with Suryakumar Yadav taking the catch in the deep, which brought Tim David to the middle. Patidar soon reached his own fifty with a boundary before being dismissed by Santner.
Jitesh Sharma was out for 10 to Trent Boult, after which David stayed unbeaten on 34 from 16 balls, guiding RCB to a commanding total.
