Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) piled up a massive 240/4 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night and held Mumbai Indians (MI) to 222/5, securing an 18-run win in Match 20 of IPL 2026. Phil Salt spearheaded the attack, smashing 78 off 36 balls and putting on a 120-run opening partnership with Virat Kohli, who made a steady 50.
Captain Rajat Patidar then went after the MI bowlers, hitting 53 off only 20 balls to help RCB reach one of the highest scores of the season. Rohit Sharma’s hamstring injury hurt MI’s chase right from the start, and the five-time champions couldn't find enough rhythm to really threaten the target. RCB moved up to third in the standings with six points from four games, while MI dropped to eighth with only two points from four matches.
Sherfane Rutherford’s late surge isn't enough
Despite the loss, one player gave the Wankhede fans a reason to celebrate late in the evening. Sherfane Rutherford hammered an unbeaten 71 off just 31 balls, clearing the boundary nine times in a brilliant solo effort. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya kept MI in the hunt during the middle overs, but the asking rate was already sky-high by the time Rutherford took over.
He gave it everything, but the finish line was just too far away as RCB’s bowlers kept their cool in the final overs. Even with the result going against them, Rutherford proved his worth to the MI setup with the most exciting performance of the night for the home side.
The over that halted MI's momentum
Rutherford arrived at the post-match press conference feeling more than just the disappointment of the loss. The 16th over of the chase was a turning point that went beyond the scorecard. Rasikh Salam went down with cramps twice during that over, needing treatment on the field both times before eventually leaving with one ball left to bowl. The whole ordeal lasted several minutes, and for a batter trying to stay in the zone during a massive chase, those constant breaks were a real headache.
Rutherford spoke about it directly, saying that every time Rasikh bowled, the game would stop for five minutes. He pointed out that as a batter, you need to stay in a flow, and the stoppages kept killing the tempo. He admitted it was out of his hands and something he’d have to deal with better next time, noting he’d try to stay one step ahead in similar spots.
“I think that was the toughest part for me. Every time Rasikh bowled, he would take five minutes, bowl, take five minutes (again). As a batter, you need momentum. It does keep slowing down the game. It's something I can't control and just learn from it. Hopefully, next time I'll try and stay ahead of the game,” Rutherford said in the post-match press conference.
He wasn't blaming Rasikh, who was clearly in pain, but his frustration made total sense. To make things even messier, Romario Shepherd caught Rutherford off a no-ball in that same chaotic over. For a team chasing 241 with a thin batting lineup, losing that rhythm in the 16th over was likely the moment the game finally got away from Mumbai.
