IPL 2025: Wankhede Turns Red & Blue as MI, RCB Lock Horns Tonight

The IPL 2025 is heating up, and Monday night’s showdown between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium has all the ingredients for a blockbuster contest. With both sides coming off stinging defeats and eager to bounce back, expect fireworks under the lights as two star-studded teams fight for momentum and crucial points in Match 20 of the season.

Match Overview

Mumbai Indians, sitting uncomfortably at eighth on the points table, are under pressure. With just one win in four matches, the five-time champions have looked far from their best. Skipper Hardik Pandya will be desperate to spark a turnaround, especially after a heartbreaking 12-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants in their last outing. All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma’s potential return after he missed the previous game due to injury. Jasprit Bumrah is also back with the squad, though his availability for this clash remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, RCB began their campaign with a bang, notching back-to-back wins over Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. However, their early momentum took a hit with a heavy defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans. Led by Rajat Patidar, RCB currently sit fourth on the table and will look to regroup quickly. With match-winners like Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, and Liam Livingstone in the lineup, they’ll be hungry to take advantage of MI’s vulnerability.

Pitch Report – Wankhede Stadium

Wankhede is expected to serve up a classic T20 surface—true bounce, quick outfield, and short boundaries. The new ball may swing for the first few overs, but once the batters settle in, expect high scores. Historically, chasing has been the way to go here, with teams batting second winning 65 out of 119 matches.

Fans can look forward to some mouthwatering individual battles. Phil Salt’s aggressive start against the swing of Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar could set the tone for RCB. On the flip side, MI will be banking on Suryakumar Yadav and the returning Will Jacks to light up the scoreboard in front of a roaring home crowd.

Head-to-Head Record

Total Matches: 33

Mumbai Indians Wins: 19

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Wins: 14

First Encounter: April 20, 2008

Last Encounter: April 11, 2024

Predicted Playing XIs

Mumbai Indians (MI):

Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Raj Bawa, Hardik Pandya (c), Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur

Impact Player: Tilak Varma

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal

Impact Player: Rasikh Salam

With star power on both sides and the pressure mounting, this clash could very well define the next phase of the season for both franchises. Buckle up—it’s MI vs RCB at the Wankhede, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.