NEW DELHI: The atmosphere at Wankhede Stadium lifted instantly when Virat Kohli walked out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Wearing his helmet and holding his bat, Kohli paused near the boundary rope, kissed it, and then strode into the middle as the crowd erupted.
Asked to bat after Mumbai Indians won the contest, RCB’s noise levels climbed even higher once Kohli faced Trent Boult. After a maiden dot against the bowler, Kohli shifted his weight and pulled the very next delivery over square leg for a six, sparking another surge of applause.
Quick facts
- Venue: Wankhede Stadium, New Delhi
- Batting moment: Virat Kohli’s boundary-rope gesture and early strike
- Key milestone: First batter to score 1,000+ IPL runs against Mumbai Indians
- Opening partnership: 120 runs between Kohli and Phil Salt
- Salt’s innings: 78 off 36 balls
- Salt dismissed by: Shardul Thakur
- Toss: Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to field
- MI changes: Mitchell Santner and Mayank Markande in for AM Ghazanfar and Deepak Chahar
- RCB change: Jacob Duffy replaces Josh Hazlewood
Kohli’s timing looked immaculate, and the innings quickly carried a historic tag. He became the first batter in IPL history to reach more than 1,000 runs against Mumbai Indians, a landmark that added extra weight to his already dominant start.
The early thrust came through a powerful 120-run opening stand with Phil Salt. Salt struck at a rapid pace, smashing 78 off just 36 balls, before Shardul Thakur eventually brought his aggression to an end with the dismissal.
Form leading into the game
Before this match, Kohli had played three games in IPL 2026. He finished one of those appearances unbeaten on 69 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and also contributed 28 against Chennai Super Kings as well as 32 versus Rajasthan Royals.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field, setting the tone for a chase-friendly start for RCB. MI then made two alterations to their XI, bringing in Mitchell Santner and Mayank Markande while leaving out AM Ghazanfar and Deepak Chahar.
RCB, meanwhile, shuffled their bowling options as well. Captain Rajat Patidar’s side added Jacob Duffy to the playing XI, with Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood making way for the change.
Playing XI
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.
Stay tuned for the latest IPL updates including live scores, breaking news, the schedule, and movements in the points table, alongside the battle for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
