‘This PoTM award goes to...’: Rajat Patidar wins hearts with kind gesture after RCB beat MI

The Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played an away game in the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) on Monday, April 7, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the match against the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) by 12 runs in the 20th match of the IPL 2025.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya blames Rohit Sharma for ruining Naman Dhir, makes fresh revelation on Tilak Varma’s 'retire out' call

To be honest, this award goes to the bowling unit - Rajat Patidar

Batting first in the match, RCB lost Phil Salt in the first over, but Virat Kohli (67) and Devdutt Padikkal (37) showcased batting masterclass to put MI under pressure. After that, Rajat Patidar (64) and Jitesh Sharma (40) batted brilliantly to take RCB to a huge score of 221/5.

Defending the score, the RCB bowling unit didn't allow the MI top-order to score big runs. In the middle overs, they were taken to cleaners by Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma. However, they held their nerves and restricted MI to 209/9.

Krunal Pandya picked 4 wickets, Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal bagged two wickets each while Bhuvneshwar Kumar got one wicket.

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, who won the Player of the Match as well, said that MI and RCB produced a thriller and added that the PoTM award should be given to his bowling unit, instead of him. He said:

"That was a really amazing match. The way the bowlers have shown courage, it was amazing. To be honest, this award goes to the bowling unit because it's not easy to stop a batting unit on this ground, so the credit goes to them. The way the fast bowlers executed their plans was great."

The way Krunal has bowled was amazing - Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar further talked about giving the 20th over to Krunal Pandya and said that the decision was a tough one to make.

"The way Krunal has bowled was amazing. In the last over, it was not easy, I think the way he has bowled and the courage he has shown is amazing," Rajat Patidar said.

"At that time, it was clear that we have to take the game deep. So, the discussion was to take the game deep and use KP's one over at the last. The wicket was good and the ball was coming on nicely to the bat. After the Hardik Pandya over, I went all out."

Rajat Patidar, in the end, lavished high praise on the young leg-spinner Suyash Sharma for doing a good job for RCB. He stated:

"The wrist spinner is one of the main bowlers because they are wicket-taking and the way he (Suyash Sharma) bowled was great."

How did RCB perform in the previous IPL match against MI?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru were outplayed in every department in their previous match against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and faced a 7-wicket loss.

Batting first, RCB's innings started poorly as Virat Kohli and Will Jacks fell inside the powerplay, leaving RCB at 23/2. Then, Faf du Plessis (61 off 40) and Rajat Patidar (50 off 26) batted well to steady the innings.

After their dismissal, RCB once again came under pressure and RCB’s hopes of a 200-plus total were dented. In the end, Dinesh Karthik came with a late blitz and smacked an unbeaten 53 off 23 balls to drag RCB to a competitive score of 196/8.

Defending the score, the RCB bowlers were nowhere close to their best. Premier pacers Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, and Akash Deep leaked runs at over 11 runs per over, and the rest of the bowlers were also expensive.

Ishan Kishan’s 69, Rohit’s 38, and Suryakumar Yadav’s 17-ball fifty dismantled the RCB attack before Hardik Pandya provided the finishing touches as the run chase was completed in 15.3 overs.