Dhurandhar The Revenge may have dominated headlines at the box office, but it had a surprising rival on the sporting calendar: the IPL. In a league first that turned into an endurance test of scheduling and nerves, the Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match in IPL 2026 stretched to a staggering four hours and 22 minutes—running so long that it became the longest IPL game to begin on time. The contest also finished without any interruptions, without a reduction in overs, and without needing a Super Over.
How the Wankhede marathon stacked up
While the MI vs RCB clash at the Wankhede became the headline record for a match that started on schedule and stayed uninterrupted, it also sits near the top of the overall duration rankings. In total time, it is the second-longest IPL match, behind the MI vs Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI Punjab) encounter in 2020.
- The Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings game in 2020 lasted five hours and four minutes and was decided only after a double Super Over shootout.
- Several other long matches—though not quite as lengthy as the Wankhede thriller—still ran longer than the 2026 fixture, including IPL 2023 clashes: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders at about four hours and 50 minutes, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans at about four hours and 30 minutes.
- Those IPL 2023 contests, however, did not start exactly on time because weather restrictions caused delays, with the first ball delivered well after the scheduled 7:30 PM IST start.
Longest IPL matches involving rain (or delays around play)
- Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2023) — roughly 4 hours 50 minutes
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans (2023) — roughly 4 hours 38 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2026) — roughly 4 hours 22 minutes
- Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians (2018) — roughly 4 hours 15 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings (2019) — roughly 4 hours 11 minutes
Longest IPL matches to start on time—no interval, no Super Over
- Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2026) — 4 hours 22 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings (2019) — 4 hours 11 minutes
- Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (2019) — 4 hours 11 minutes
- Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings (2025) — 4 hours 00 minutes
- Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants (2024) — 4 hours 00 minutes
Despite the match stretching close to midnight, there was another angle to the night: BCCI disciplinary action. Surprisingly, neither captain—Hardik Pandya of Mumbai Indians nor Rajat Patidar—was fined by the board, even though the IPL has been known for strict enforcement around over rates.
Several other skippers have already received punishments this season, including Shreyas Iyer of Punjab Kings, Shubman Gill of Gujarat Titans, and Ruturaj Gaikwad of Chennai Super Kings. Still, with the MI vs RCB clash effectively running until around 12 AM, the duo at the helm were able to avoid sanctions this time.
Longest IPL games with and without Super Overs
Matches that went to Super Overs
- Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab (2020) — about 5 hours 4 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2026) — about 4 hours 22 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab (2019) — about 4 hours 3 minutes
- Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2019) — about 4 hours 0 minutes
Matches decided without Super Overs
- Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2026) — about 4 hours 23 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab (2019) — about 4 hours 3 minutes
There have been other IPL contests that crossed the four-hour mark as well. The Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings clash in 2019 and the two matches that both clocked four hours and 11 minutes—Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals—stand out as examples of how quickly long games can stack up. In 2024, Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants also reached exactly four hours, and the 2025 encounter between Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings hit the same four-hour figure. Dhurandhar 2, of course, was released only last month, but the IPL’s record list kept moving.
The longest IPL match of all time
When every possible factor—rain, Super Overs, and any form of mid-match delays—is counted, the record changes completely. The longest IPL match of all time is the three-day final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans in the 2023 summit clash.
- Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans (2023 Final) — 30 hours 05 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings (2020) — 5 hours 04 minutes
- Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2023) — 4 hours 50 minutes
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans (2023) — 4 hours 38 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2026) — 4 hours 22 minutes
- Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings (2019) — 4 hours 11 minutes
- Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (2019) — 4 hours 11 minutes
The 2023 final between CSK and GT had been scheduled to begin on Sunday, but rain forced the match to be moved to the reserve day on Monday. The toss took place, and the title chase finally got underway. Yet even after the rescheduling, rain still hovered around the venue, and the match was only completed close to 3 AM—meaning it officially entered Tuesday. The final ball was struck at around 1:30, and it then took another 90 minutes to finish the presentation ceremony, including the handing out of prizes and the trophy.
