The on-field rivalry between Pandya brothers was one of the highlights of the MI vs RCB fixture.
Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered an 18-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their IPL 2026 fixture at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (April 12).
The game also threw on-field rivalry between Pandya brothers – Hardik and Krunal. While the MI captain played a fighting knock of 22-ball 40 during the chase, it was Krunal’s spell (1/26 in 4 overs) that helped RCB to defend their 240-run total on a flat wicket.
The sibling battle turned intense when Krunal delivered a sharp bouncer that Hardik managed to evade, leading to an intense exchange of stares between the two.
Later, Krunal was seen celebrating in an animated manner after Jacob Duffy dismissed Hardik in the 15th over of the chase.
After the clash, Krunal Pandya said it was always going to be a case of “one Pandya had to win.”
“Wankhede has always been close to my heart. I have played here for six years and was lucky enough to win three trophies in that time,” Krunal said at the post-match press conference.
“So it has always been special coming over here, and as I said last year as well, eventually the points were coming home only. One Pandya had to win, and I guess I was the lucky one in that,” he added.
Coming to the match, Phil Salt (78 off 36 balls) and Virat Kohli (50 off 38 balls) stitched together a 120-run stand for the opening wicket before skipper Rajat Patidar slammed a rapid 53 off just 20 balls to propel RCB to a massive 240/4 in 20 overs.
In reply, MI were restricted to 222/5, with RCB spinner Suyash Sharma (2/47) putting the skids on the home side with a double strike in the eighth over. Sherfane Rutherford top-scored for Mumbai with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.