Mumbai Indians Fall Short Again Against RCB Despite Rohit Sharma’s Return

MUMBAI, India — The Mumbai Indians suffered yet another setback in the 2025 Indian Premier League, falling to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by a significant margin despite a promising start. The match, held on April 7, saw RCB setting a daunting total of 221 runs, which MI could not chase down.

In their innings, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by strong performances from Virat Kohli and captain Rajat Patidar, reached 221/5 in their 20 overs. Kohli scored 67 runs, while Patidar added 64 runs, helping RCB establish a formidable score after being put into bat by MI captain Hardik Pandya.

Despite losing an early wicket, MI’s Rohit Sharma showed some positive intent in his return from injury, scoring a few boundaries before falling victim to Yash Dayal, which left MI at 33/1 after 2.3 overs.

“After losing a wicket on the second ball, we countered pretty nicely,” Patidar said after the match. “My strength is to get my touch and feel of the ball early on, then I can play the shots that I want to. The partnership was really important for us.”

MS were in urgent need of a win, sitting eighth in the standings after losing three of their first four matches this season. The team’s struggles have been compounded by inconsistent performances from their bowlers, as evidenced during this match where Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless, finishing with figures of 0/29 in four overs.

The Mumbai Indians’ playing XI included Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton, and Suryakumar Yadav, but the squad continues to face challenges in adapting to brutal batting conditions at the Wankhede Stadium.

“It is a good wicket, chasing 222 is going to be hard regardless of the power in the batting lineup,” said MI coach Mahela Jayawardene. “We need flawless powerplay, middle overs, and set-batters in the end if we have to do it.”

On the other hand, RCB showcased solid batting depth with Devdutt Padikkal and Jitesh Sharma contributing significant runs. The less-than-stellar performance from MI’s bowling unit left them struggling to contain RCB’s innings. At one point, RCB looked set for an even larger total, with Patidar and Kohli building a strong partnership.

The match’s atmosphere reflected the high stakes of IPL cricket, with fans flocking to the stadium, creating an electrifying vibe. With the loss, MI’s hopes of making a turnaround this season hung by a thread, as their dependency on key players like Sharma further intensified.

As for RCB, they currently sit in third place with two wins out of three matches played, showing promise as they look to challenge for this year’s title.

“We have a good score on the board,” a confident Patidar reiterated. “Once the spinner is out of the game, then the fast bowler with shorter boundaries will find it tough. We are hoping for a strong finish in our games going forward.”