Tension usually crackles when these two teams meet. Mumbai has more titles, yet games often swing wildly. This time, though, calm never settled across the field on Sunday. Instead, Bengaluru pushed hard, taking full control early. Rarely has such a balance tipped so sharply in their history.
One thing stood out clearly to ex-India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin when looking at MI’s big loss, the way captain Hardik Pandya handled things on the field. His call about who should bowl, especially when facing Rajat Patidar, drew sharp attention. With no hesitation, Ashwin broke down what unfolded during play. Every move was examined under close light.
Ravichandran Ashwin questions spin strategy against Rajat Patidar
That 2024 clash still lingers, when Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out Patidar’s sharp eye for spinning deliveries. During it, the RCB player tore into Mayank Markande not gently, with six after six flying off his bat in one over. A burst like that, fierce and sudden, somehow slipped past Mumbai's awareness.
Even after what happened before, MI gave Markande another go, which let Patidar come hard right away. Right off, it backfired. The batsman smashed three sixes in a row during one over, something Ashwin thought someone would see coming.
Also Read: “We’re playing catch-up”: Hardik Pandya urges reset after MI’s loss to RCB
Out of nowhere, Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the move, flat-out called it “not the smartest,” even tagged it “very average.” He pointed at how MI seemed to feed right into Patidar’s game. Then came Markande, leaking 40 off only two overs. On top of that, spinner Mitchell Santner didn’t fare better, ending up with 43 gone across his full share.
Eighty-three runs flowed during MI's six-over spell with the spinners on duty leaving their target far short of what might have held up against RCB’s 240. That stretch shifted everything.
