Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) don’t look as untouchable as they did a week ago. The defeat to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) not only hurt their top-two ambitions but also exposed a few cracks that had stayed hidden during their excellent run through IPL 2026.
Josh Hazlewood has started leaking runs. Jacob Bethell hasn’t really filled Phil Salt’s shoes yet. Jitesh Sharma’s struggles with the bat continue. And suddenly, ahead of a massive clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Raipur, there are conversations around whether Rajat Patidar should tweak the combination. The reality, though, is that RCB are unlikely to panic.
Jacob Bethell needs to fire
With Phil Salt still unavailable due to his finger injury, Bethell should continue at the top alongside Virat Kohli. Despite scoring just 43 runs in four innings this season, the English youngster has it in him to dominate. His hundred against India at the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final still gets talked about. Last year, he smashed a half-century too for RCB. But there is no escaping the fact that his starts haven’t converted enough.
Three times already, Bethell has been caught in the deep during the powerplay despite fielding restrictions being on. That is the phase where Salt dominated for RCB before his injury, scoring 202 runs in six innings at a strike rate above 168. MI would know.
Hazlewood’s dip worrying RCB?
Josh Hazlewood remains one of RCB’s most important bowlers, but opponents have started attacking him differently over the last two games.
Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler took him apart in Ahmedabad before Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant counterpunched aggressively against him in Lucknow. Across his last two outings, Hazlewood has gone at economy rates of 12.25 and 14. That said, RCB are still unlikely to move away from him. Big players usually get backed deeper into tournaments.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s form with the new ball has helped soften that dip considerably. His powerplay bowling has become one of RCB’s biggest strengths this season.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL 2026
| Stat | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Matches | 10 |
| Powerplay wickets | 9 |
| Three-wicket hauls | 5 |
RCB’s death bowling has also remained among the best in the tournament.
RCB in death overs (IPL 2026)
- Batting Run rate – 11.33 (2nd-best)
- Wickets lost – 11 (2nd-fewest)
Tim David and Romario Shepherd have played massive roles there with finishing contributions.
Kohli’s MI record, Patidar’s dominance and predicted XI
Virat Kohli, once again, will be the one to watch out. In the reverse fixture in Mumbai, Kohli did make a fifty but it was a bad one. He would love to be more attacking this time. The former captain also needs just 28 more runs to complete 1000 IPL runs against Mumbai Indians, which will be another milestone in a career full of them. Interestingly, he also has an excellent record against Trent Boult, striking at over 141 while being dismissed only once in 14 T20 innings.
Virat Kohli vs MI
| Inns | Runs | Highest | SR | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 972 | 92* | 128.91 | 7 |
Rajat Patidar, meanwhile, absolutely enjoys batting against Mumbai.
| Inns | Runs | Highest | Strike Rate | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 175 | 64 | 203.48 | 2 |
Predicted RCB Playing XI vs MI
| Batting Order | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli |
| 2 | Jacob Bethell ✈️ |
| 3 | Devdutt Padikkal |
| 4 | Rajat Patidar (c) |
| 5 | Jitesh Sharma (wk) |
| 6 | Tim David ✈️ |
| 7 | Krunal Pandya |
| 8 | Romario Shepherd ✈️ |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
| 10 | Josh Hazlewood ✈️ |
| 11 | Suyash Sharma |
| 12 (Impact Player) | Rasikh Salam |
RCB have won three of their last five games against the Mumbai Indians since 2023 and still are favourites heading into tonight’s encounter. Today, they play at Raipur, RCB’s second home ground of the season. A win tonight will propel them to top of the IPL 2026 points table.
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