Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has defended Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Virat Kohli for his slow half-century against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026. Ashwin said that match conditions can sometimes prevent a batsman from being sharp and said that Kohli not being able to change gears is acceptable.
Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in a tight evening match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12. They achieved their third win of the season and are third in the standings. Virat Kohli scored 50 runs in 38 balls at a strike rate of 131.58, which included five fours and a six.
Not about right or wrong – Ravichandran Ashwin supports Virat Kohli
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin talked about Virat Kohli’s innings amid criticism in the cricket community. Ashwin said that if power hitters like Tim David were used when Kohli was struggling to accelerate, RCB could have crossed the 260 mark.
“It’s not about right or wrong. In T20 cricket, sometimes you have days where the pace doesn’t let you accelerate. Today, Virat was not able to accelerate and that’s completely fine,” Ashwin said.
He said, “If Mumbai had brought in a power hitter like Tim David or Shepherd earlier – they could have reached 260. You understand what I am saying, okay? But today, it didn’t seem like Virat could shift gears. Same thing happened with Ruturaj recently.”
Ravi Ashwin : “No worries about Kohli’s innings, he was trying to be aggressive but it was not his day, sometimes it happens and that’s okay.” pic.twitter.com/X8glF5lA6c
– Dive (@crickohlic) 13 April 2026
Virat Kohli achieved a big milestone against Mumbai Indians
Despite criticism of his strike rate, Virat Kohli reached a big milestone in this match. He became the first player to score more than 1000 runs against Mumbai Indians in T20, leaving behind players like KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.
Kohli started well, scoring 20 runs from his first 11 balls and quickly reached the mark. He managed to score 50 runs with the help of five fours and a six before suffering an ankle injury which forced him out of the field.
KL Rahul is second in this list with 977 runs against Mumbai Indians. Kohli has also crossed the 1000-run mark against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) during his career with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Royal Challengers Bangalore won over Mumbai Indians
Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered an 18-run win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12 to return to winning ways in IPL 2026. Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to bowl first, but RCB batsmen dominated from the beginning.
Phil Salt played a quickfire inning of 78 runs in 36 balls, while Virat Kohli added 50 runs in 38 balls. Rajat Patidar continued his strong form and scored 53 runs in just 20 balls, helping RCB post a huge score of 240/4 in 20 overs. Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner and Shardul Thakur took one wicket each.
Mumbai Indians struggled to maintain the required rate while chasing the target. Sherfane Rutherford fought back, scoring 71 not out from 31 balls, but his effort was not enough as the team finished on 225/5. Suyyash Sharma took two wickets for RCB.
Mumbai Indians recorded their third consecutive defeat, leaving them eighth with one win from four matches. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have now won three of their four matches and have moved up to the third position.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin criticizes Hardik Pandya’s “very average” call after Rajat Patidar massacre in MI vs RCB
