RCB beat MI; Kohli’s fifty

Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs on April 12 after piling up 240 for 4 at Wankhede Stadium in Match 20 of the Indian Premier League. (iplt20.com) Phil Salt set up the win with 78 off 36 balls, Virat Kohli made 50 off 38, and captain Rajat Patidar added 53 off 20 as Bengaluru scored at 12 runs an over. Mumbai finished on 222 for 5 in their 20 overs. (espncricinfo.com) Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bowl, but Bengaluru were already 120 for 1 by the 11th over when Salt fell. Kohli was out for his half-century in the 15th over, and Patidar kept the scoring rate climbing before Tim David finished unbeaten on 34 off 16. (espncricinfo.com) The chase stayed alive through Sherfane Rutherford’s 71 off 31 balls and Hardik Pandya’s 42 off 15, but Mumbai still needed 19 off the last over and ended short. Suyash Sharma took 2 wickets, and Krunal Pandya’s 4 overs cost 26 runs. (cricbuzz.com) The result left Rajasthan Royals first, Punjab Kings second and Royal Challengers Bengaluru third in the table after 20 matches. Mumbai Indians stayed eighth. (iplt20.com) That table matters early because each team plays 14 league matches, and Bengaluru now have four wins from five games while Mumbai have one win from five. Net run rate also separates teams tied on points, and Bengaluru’s win lifted them to plus 0.539 while Mumbai slipped to minus 0.010. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Kohli’s fifty came with visible frustration at the crease and after one passage of play he threw his helmet and gloves on the ground. India Today reported the reaction after his 38-ball half-century in Mumbai. (indiatoday.in) Bengaluru’s next test is whether this batting-first win at Wankhede travels with them, because 240 was only enough by 18 runs on a night when Mumbai still cleared 220. For one evening, though, the runs were enough to move Bengaluru upward and keep Mumbai in the lower half. (iplt20.com)