RCB beat Mumbai Indians

Royal Challengers Bengaluru left Wankhede Stadium with an 18-run win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday after piling up 240 for 4 and holding Mumbai to 222 for 5. (iplt20.com) Phil Salt made 78 from 43 balls, Virat Kohli hit 67 from 42, and captain Rajat Patidar added 53 from 25 as Bengaluru reached their highest total against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. (espncricinfo.com) Mumbai Indians stayed in the chase through Tilak Varma’s 56 from 29 balls and Hardik Pandya’s 42 from 15, but Krunal Pandya took 4 for 45 and removed both set batters in the last five overs. (espncricinfo.com) The result left Royal Challengers Bengaluru third in the table with 6 points from 4 matches and a net run rate of 1.148. Mumbai Indians remained eighth with 2 points from 5 matches and a net run rate of -0.010. (espncricinfo.com) That early table matters because the league stage is only 14 matches long, and net run rate often separates teams tied on points for playoff places. Rajasthan Royals led the standings on 8 points after four straight wins, while Punjab Kings were second on 7 after one no-result. (espncricinfo.com) Bengaluru came into the game one match after a loss to Rajasthan Royals on April 10, and Mumbai arrived after defeats to Delhi Capitals on April 4 and Rajasthan on April 7. Sunday’s result gave Bengaluru a 3-1 record and handed Mumbai a third straight loss. (espncricinfo.com) The scoring pattern showed how fast the game moved. Bengaluru were 91 without loss in 8 overs, reached 144 for 2 after 15, and then scored 96 runs in the last 5 overs; Mumbai replied with 123 for 3 after 13 before the chase stalled late. (iplt20.com) Mumbai’s bowling numbers underlined the problem. Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Vignesh Puthur and Hardik Pandya all went at more than 10 runs an over, and Jasprit Bumrah’s 1 for 29 was the only spell under 7.5 an over. (espncricinfo.com) For Bengaluru, the win kept a fast start intact before upcoming matches against Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. For Mumbai, the table now shows little margin for another slow week. (espncricinfo.com)