Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin defended Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batsman Virat Kohli during his slow half-century against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026. Ashwin said match situations can sometimes prevent a batsman from accelerating and added that Kohli not being able to change gears was acceptable.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in an intense night match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12. They achieved their third victory of the season and are in third place in the table. Virat Kohli scored 50 runs off 38 balls at a strike rate of 131.58, including five fours and one six.
It’s not about right or wrong: Ravichandran Ashwin backs Virat Kohli
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about Virat Kohli’s knock amid criticism in the cricket community. Ashwin said RCB could have crossed 260 if powerful batsmen like Tim David had been used when Kohli was struggling to accelerate.
“It’s not about right or wrong. In T20 cricket, sometimes there are days like this when the pace just doesn’t allow you to accelerate. Today, Virat couldn’t accelerate, and that’s completely fine,” Ashwin said.
“If Mumbai had brought in a power batsman like Tim David or Shepherd earlier, they could have reached 260. You know what I’m saying, right? But today it didn’t look like Virat could change gears. Same thing happened with Ruturaj recently,” he added.
Ravi Ashwin 🎙️: “There is nothing to worry about Kohli’s innings, he was trying to be aggressive but it just wasn’t his day, sometimes it happens and that’s okay.” pic.twitter.com/X8glF5lA6c
– Diving (@crickohlic) April 13, 2026
Virat Kohli achieves a big milestone against Mumbai Indians
Despite criticism over his scoring rate, Virat Kohli achieved an important milestone in this match. He became the first player to score more than 1000 runs against Mumbai Indians in T20, surpassing the likes of KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.
Kohli started well, scoring 20 runs in his first 11 balls and quickly reached the mark. He then scored 50 runs, five fours and one six, before suffering an ankle injury that ruled him out of fielding.
KL Rahul is second on the list with 977 runs against Mumbai Indians. Kohli also surpassed 1000 runs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) during his career with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure victory over Mumbai Indians
Royal Challengers Bengaluru recorded an 18-run victory over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12 to return to winning ways in IPL 2026. Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya elected to bowl first after winning the toss, but RCB’s batsmen dominated from the start.
Phil Salt scored a quickfire 78 off 36 balls, while Virat Kohli added 50 off 38 deliveries. Rajat Patidar continued his good form with 53 off just 20 balls, helping RCB post a grand total of 240/4 in 20 overs. Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner and Shardul Thakur took a wicket each.
Mumbai Indians struggled to maintain the required pace throughout the chase. Sherfane Rutherford fought back with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls, but his efforts were not enough and the team finished with 225/5. Suyash Sharma picked up two wickets for RCB.
Mumbai Indians registered their third consecutive defeat, leaving them eighth with one win in four matches. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won three of their four games and moved up to third place.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin slams Hardik Pandya’s ‘very average’ call after Rajat Patidar massacre in MI vs RCB