Virat Kohli’s sparkling half-century to Krunal Pandya’s four-wicket haul – top three performers for RCB vs MI

RCB returned to winning ways as they edged past MI in a thrilling run-fest at the Wankhede. It was a fine show in all the departments featuring an explosive batting display laced with controlled bowling that helped RCB to secure their third win of the ongoing IPL.

From Virat Kohli’s brilliant half-century to Rajat Patidar’ impeccable storm, here are the top three performances for RCB that were the key pivots in RCB’s third victory of IPL 2025.

Virat Kohli – 67 (42)

The King came back to life after a couple of bumps and it was one of the most sparkling displays of the game that set the tone right. Virat spearheaded the charge with a dab of resistance early on as RCB was rocked back in the wee hours with the premature departure of Phil Salt. Virat took his time before he went hacking against Deepak Chahar first only to unleash his beast mode against Trent Boult with a couple of consecutive boundaries. The highlight of his innings was the massive six off Jasprit Bumrah, that too off the first ball the pacer bowled to Virat in the game. He brought up his half-century with a massive six against Vignesh Puthur, sailing all the way over the wide long on boundary.

Rajat Patidar – 64 (32)

The RCB Captain walked away with the Player of the Match award for his belligerent display against the Mumbai Indians. Patidar took his time as he was just 8 off the first 10 balls that he faced. However, in the remaining 22 balls, he smacked 56 runs, dishing out an ode to his unrivalled class and calibre. The rampage started with a boundary against Hardik Pandya that screamed innovation at the loudest. Mitchell Santner, who had an ordinary day in office now found himself being heckled by Patidar as the latter clubbed him for a couple of monumental sixes in the same over. The RCB skipper unleashed his fury upon the hapless MI bowlers, completing his half-century with a colossus against Hardik Pandya.

Krunal Pandya – 4/45

The all-rounder proved to be expensive for the first three overs. He went for 39 runs while claiming just a solitary wicket up front. However, it was the final over by Krunal that made all the difference in the world. With 19 runs needed in the final over, Pandya started off with the prized scalp of Mitchell Santner who has formerly shown illustrious batting flair to get those much-needed big hits. The following ball saw a tag team effort from Phil Salt and Tim David and eventually it was the latter with the catch which sent Deepak Chahar packing for a golden duck. Pandya got a third in the over when the ball ballooned off Naman Dhir's bat, and the catch was gleefully accepted by Yash Dayal at deep backward square leg, bringing forth the left-arm spinner's fourth wicket of the evening as RCB registered their third win from four matches in IPL 2025.