Rajat Patidar Shines as RCB Ends 10-Year Wait to Beat MI at Wankhede in Historic Victory

RCB have hit the ground running this season, and they’re making some serious statements along the way. After breaking their long-standing losing streak in Chennai, they’ve now ticked off another tough venue — Wankhede. The energy and aggression in their batting unit has been spot on, and it’s paying off big time.

Against Mumbai Indians, it looked like RCB were cruising to a comfortable win. But MI, out of nowhere, turned the game into a thriller thanks to a late blitz from skipper Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma. The chase came down to the final over, with 19 runs needed — but Krunal Pandya, of all people, stepped up for RCB. The former MI all-rounder kept his cool and sealed a 12-run win for Bengaluru, finishing with 4 for 45 in a match-winning spell. 

Before all the drama, it was Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, and Jitesh Sharma who laid the platform for RCB’s massive total of 221. Kohli was at his fluent best, scoring 67 off 42 balls and holding the innings together for 14 overs. Hardik Pandya then pulled things back momentarily, removing Kohli and Liam Livingstone in the 15th over, but Patidar took charge from there, blasting a 32-ball 64. Jitesh Sharma gave the perfect finishing touch with an unbeaten 40 off just 19 balls. 

In reply, MI had a flying start, thanks to a few quick blows from Rohit Sharma. But once he fell to Yash Dayal, the brakes were applied. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood bowled tight spells up front, and spinners Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya took over to keep MI in check. Suryakumar Yadav struggled for rhythm, despite being handed a couple of lives, and eventually holed out for 28 to Dayal. 

Then came the late surge from Hardik and Tilak. The pair stitched together a blistering 89-run partnership in just 34 balls for the fifth wicket, suddenly throwing the game wide open. Tilak brought up a superb 56 off 29 before falling to Bhuvneshwar in the 18th over, and Hardik followed in the next to Hazlewood, having smashed 42 off just 15. That left MI needing 19 from the final over. But Krunal held his nerve to close it out in style and help RCB pull off another big win. 

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