RCB eye return to winning ways as Mumbai Indians pose stern challenge
A little under 48 hours after suffering their first defeat of the season, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru are all set to hit the yard again. In a challenge against Mumbai Indians, RCB will be hopeful of returning to winning ways and regaining the momentum they dropped in Guwahati after much back-and-forth in a high-scoring match.
The return of Josh Hazlewood and his haul of two wickets in his very first IPL match in 2026 will serve as a massive boost for the Royal Challengers. However, their bowling woes continue to be a major question mark on a campaign that has seen two wins registered from three games. Despite their middle-order crumbling like a house of cards, Rajat Patidar’s extended run of purple patch will continue to serve RCB in their clash against Mumbai.
Mumbai had a solid start to the campaign where they outclassed Kolkata Knight Riders in the opener but two back-to-back defeats have also taken away some serious momentum from the side. A batting collapse against Rajasthan Royals was another reminder for the five-time winners to work out a few major bumps along the way ahead of their clash against RCB.
With both sides coming to this battle on the back of a defeat to the same foe, the intent will be at an all time high to try and eke out a crucial win. Two highly-skilled batting units will be on show in Wankhede, a stadium known for its batting-friendly conditions.
Venue Watch
The surface in Wankhede has always been a batting-friendly one. Alongside the true bounce on the surface, the shorter dimensions of the boundaries also become helpful for the batters. The team batting first might have to work it out in the first few overs with the new ball doing its trick. But once the lacquer comes off, it is only going to be a free-flowing run-fest.
Match detail:
Match: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Date: 12th April, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM
Head-to-head:
Matches played: 34
RCB: 15
RR: 19
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra
Mumbai Indians:
Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, AM Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah, Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Mayank Markande, Quinton de Kock, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar
