New Delhi: Virat Kohli smashed his fastest fifty in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2018 to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by 12 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, April 07. Kohli notched up his fifty off just 27 balls en route to his 67-run knock of 42 balls in the game.
Batting first, RCB lost explosive opener Phil Salt cheaply on 4 in the very first over, but Kohli combined with Devdutt Padikkal to provide the momentum to his team in the Powerplay. He went after the MI pacers, including Jasprit Bumrah, smashing 36 runs off 19 balls in the Powerplay to ensure RCB were off to a flyer.
Kohli welcomed Jasprit Bumrah with a brilliant pull shot, smashing him for a six in the fourth over and also tried to keep the runs flowing against the spinners after the Powerplay. He completed his fifty off 27 balls with a six against spinner Vignesh Puthur. It was Kohli’s fastest fifty since he smashed a 26-ball half-century against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018.
He eventually finished with 67 off 43 balls laced with 8 fours and two sixes to help set the stage for a big total of RCB. Speaking to the broadcaster post RCB’s innings, Kohli opened up on his approach and said he is constantly looking to innovate and evolve in the shortest format having already retired from T20Is.
“My strength is to get my touch and feel of the ball early on, then I can play the shots that I want to. I tried to innovate a bit, tried to hit different shots off spin as well and then tried to hit different areas of the ground. You need to keep evolving your game and keep up with the demands of the situation in T20 cricket. When I time the ball nicely early on, I have better chances to contribute in the way that I want,” said Kohli about his knock.
RCB batters shine against Mumbai Indians
RCB batters did well as a unit against Mumbai Indians to help their team post a big total of 221 runs on the board, batting first at the Wankhede Stadium. While Kohli top-scored with his 67 off 42 balls, Padikkal supported him well with 37 off 22 balls. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar continued his purple patch with a match-winning knock of 64 off just 32 balls and was awarded the Player of the Match.
Wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma also played a brilliant cameo of an unbeaten 40 off 19 balls to propel RCB to 221 in 20 overs. It was RCB’s second-highest total against Mumbai Indians in IPL history, and they managed to defend it successfully to clinch a 12-run victory and bag their third win of the season.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) superstar Virat Kohli opened up on his approach after smashing a brilliant knock of 67 runs off 42 balls in his side’s clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2025 on Monday. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
