Mumbai Indians lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru 21–15 across 37 IPL meetings since their very first clash in 2008, making this the most watched rivalry in the league’s history. Tonight in Raipur — the 38th time these two sides meet — the gap is tighter than that scoreline suggests, and RCB arrive with more momentum than at any point in 18 years.
Mumbai Indians
21
WinsVS
Total37
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
15
WinsHead-to-Head At a Glance
- Total matches: 37 (since 2008) · Tonight’s game at Raipur is the 38th
- MI wins: 21 · RCB wins: 15 · Tied: 1 (2020 — Super Over, RCB won)
- Highest team total: RCB 240/4 (April 12, 2026, Wankhede) — record match aggregate of 462
- RCB’s biggest win: 54 runs (2021, Dubai) · MI’s biggest win: 7 wkts with 27 balls to spare (2024, Wankhede)
- Last meeting: RCB won by 18 runs (April 12, 2026, Wankhede)
📊 What the H2H Record Really Says
The 21–15 scoreline flatters MI when you break it apart by era. Between 2008 and 2017, Mumbai won roughly 15 of 22 meetings — a dominance built on Lasith Malinga’s swing in the powerplay and Kieron Pollard’s death-overs brutality. Their pace attack found the Wankhede pitch more reliably than any visiting side, and RCB’s top order, for all its firepower, kept folding when Malinga got early movement. Since 2018, the fixture has flipped almost completely: RCB have won 9 of the last 15 matches, including five of the most recent eight, with the swing factor being their improved chase-bowling and Virat Kohli staying at the crease when the pressure peaks. Strip out the 2008–2017 block and this rivalry isn’t lopsided at all — it’s dead level.
MI vs RCB — Season by Season
| Season | Played | MI W | RCB W | NR/Tie | Notable Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | RCB won the first-ever MI vs RCB match at Wankhede |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | MI swept both meetings; RCB finished runners-up |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | MI’s Malinga era begins; RCB blanked twice |
| 2011 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | RCB beat MI in Qualifier 2 by 43 runs; only playoff meeting |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | MI won both; en route to their first IPL title |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | MI’s title year; RCB beaten home and away |
| 2014 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Split; RCB’s AB de Villiers begins his dominance of MI attack |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | RCB’s 235/1 at Wankhede — Kohli 82*, ABD 133* — won by 39 runs |
| 2016 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Split season; Kohli’s 973-run campaign includes big scores vs MI |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | MI won both on way to title; RCB’s worst modern season |
| 2018 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Rohit’s 94 off 54 — one of his best IPL knocks — won it for MI at Wankhede |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Split; MI went on to lift their fourth title |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Dubai Super Over: tied on 201 each, RCB won the Super Over |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | RCB’s first-ever double over MI; 54-run win in Dubai was statement cricket |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | RCB won by 7 wkts (Match 18); MI won the reverse fixture |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | MI won the rematch at Wankhede by 6 wkts; SKY scored 83 off 35 |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Bumrah 5/21 — MI won by 7 wkts with 27 balls to spare at Wankhede |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | RCB’s first Wankhede win since 2015; won by 12 runs defending 198 |
| 2026* | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | RCB 240/4 beat MI 222/5 by 18 runs (Apr 12); record 462-run aggregate |
By Venue
| Venue | Played | MI W | RCB W | Tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Neutral Venues (UAE, Pune, Kolkata etc.) | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
Biggest Wins on Each Side
🏆 MI’s Biggest Win in This Fixture
Mumbai Indians beat RCB by 7 wickets with 27 balls remaining on April 11, 2024 at Wankhede. Jasprit Bumrah produced one of the great modern IPL spells — 5/21 — to bowl RCB out for 196, then Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav dismantled the chase inside 15.3 overs. Bumrah’s figures that night remain the best bowling performance in the history of this fixture.
🏆 RCB’s Biggest Win in This Fixture
Royal Challengers Bangalore crushed Mumbai Indians by 54 runs in Dubai on October 3, 2021. RCB batters fired on flat UAE pitches and MI’s chase never got going, with Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj combining to restrict them. That match was part of RCB’s historic double over MI in the same season — the first time they’d beaten the Hitman’s side twice in a single IPL campaign.
Playoff & Final Meetings
MI and RCB have never met in an IPL final, despite both franchises finishing runners-up on multiple occasions. Their one and only knockout encounter came on May 18, 2011, in the IPL Qualifier 2 played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. RCB beat MI by 43 runs to reach the final — which they then lost to Chennai Super Kings. Since 2011, the two sides’ playoff paths haven’t crossed, though both were in the top four in 2023 and 2025. Given how the 2026 table is shaping up — with RCB in 3rd and MI fighting for survival at 9th — a knockout meeting in this edition looks unlikely unless MI produce something extraordinary in their final five league games.
⚡ Iconic Moments in This Rivalry
Three matches define the MI–RCB story. The 2015 Wankhede blockbuster where Kohli (82*) and AB de Villiers (133* off 59 balls) put on 215 unbroken in RCB’s 235/1 — that score felt untouchable until this April. The 2020 Dubai Super Over where both sides ended on 201 and RCB edged it in the bowl-off — one of the great ties in IPL history. And Bumrah’s 5/21 in 2024, which changed the conversation about who truly dominated this fixture in the modern era. Add April 12, 2026 — where RCB made 240 and the 462-run match aggregate broke every record in this fixture — and you’ve got the rivalry’s four defining chapters.
Top Performers in This Rivalry
Virat Kohli is the undisputed batting king of this fixture. His near-980 runs across 37 appearances include centuries, match-saving knocks, and that unforgettable 82* alongside ABD in 2015. He’s scored runs against MI at every venue the two sides have visited — home, away, and neutral. His full IPL stats page tells the wider story of a batter who has made this particular matchup his own personal gallery. Rohit Sharma has responded with 629 runs at a strike rate of 142.63 from the other dressing room, including his 94 off 54 in 2018 — the finest counter-punch in the fixture’s batting history. Rohit’s IPL career stats show the full picture of what he’s brought to this rivalry across 17 seasons.
On the bowling side, Bumrah’s 29 wickets is a number no other bowler in this fixture has come close to. Yuzvendra Chahal, during his RCB years, chipped in with 20-plus wickets for Bengaluru’s cause, and Harbhajan Singh did similar damage for MI in the earlier years with his off-spin. But neither matched the sustained excellence Bumrah has brought — a bowler who has cost opponents fewer than 7.5 runs per over across his spells in this fixture even as the pitches have got flatter and the scores bigger.
MI Right Now (IPL 2026)
- Points table: 9th, 6 points from 11 matches (3W–8L)
- Captain: Hardik Pandya
- Key strength: Rohit–Rickelton powerplay axis; Rickelton’s last two scores were 83* and 123* at SR 200+
- Weak link: Middle overs collapse; Josh Hazlewood/Deepak Chahar pace attack expensive
- X-factor: Jasprit Bumrah — extraordinary economy (under 9 RPO in the April 12 game despite conceding 0 wickets)
RCB Right Now (IPL 2026)
- Points table: 3rd, 12 points from 10 matches (6W–4L)
- Captain: Rajat Patidar
- Key strength: Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball — 9 powerplay wickets, five three-fors this season
- Weak link: Josh Hazlewood and Jacob Bethell both out of form in last two games
- X-factor: Suyash Sharma — the leg-spinner who dismantled MI’s middle order on April 12, removing Rickelton and Tilak Varma in a single over
RCB walk into tonight’s 38th meeting as the better side on paper, but I’m not writing MI off the way most people are. Rohit Sharma’s return against LSG — where he and Rickelton put on 143 together chasing 229 — was one of the most reassuring batting partnerships MI have produced all season. At a fresh Raipur pitch with slower conditions, where the Rohit-Rickelton axis can build a platform rather than going at 200 SR from ball one, MI have a genuine template. The April 12 defeat at Wankhede was painful, but the margin was 18 runs chasing 241 — a target MI lost by a six-drought between overs 8 to 13, not by bad cricket across the full 20.
That said, my money is on RCB. The 21-15 overall record genuinely misleads here — the relevant window is 2018 to today, where RCB have won 9 of 15, and the last four meetings have gone Bengaluru’s way. More importantly, Suyash Sharma against MI’s middle order is a matchup that keeps producing. The kid removed both Rickelton and Tilak Varma in quick succession last time; if he does that again at Raipur tonight, MI won’t have enough firepower at 7, 8, and 9 to compensate.
🏆 Titles & Finals
Mumbai Indians have won 5 IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020), making them the joint-most successful franchise in the tournament’s history alongside Chennai Super Kings. Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended their 17-year wait for a first title in 2025, beating Punjab Kings by 6 runs in a nail-biting Ahmedabad final under Rajat Patidar’s captaincy. MI and RCB have never faced each other in an IPL final — their only knockout meeting remains the 2011 Qualifier 2, which RCB won. For further context on how these franchises compare with their oldest rivals, see the CSK vs MI head-to-head record and the CSK vs LSG H2H page.
MI vs RCB — FAQs
Who has won more matches between MI and RCB?
Mumbai Indians lead the overall head-to-head record with 21 wins from 37 IPL meetings. RCB have won 15 times, with one match ending in a tie in 2020 (played in Dubai) that went to a Super Over — which RCB won. However, since 2018, RCB have been the dominant side, winning 9 of 15 encounters in the modern era.
When was the first MI vs RCB IPL match?
The first IPL meeting between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru took place in 2008 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai — the very first season of the tournament. RCB won that encounter, making it the only time a team has won the very first match in what became an 18-year rivalry.
What is the highest team total in MI vs RCB matches?
The highest team total in this fixture is RCB’s 240/4, posted on April 12, 2026 at Wankhede. Phil Salt (78 off 36), Virat Kohli (50 off 38), Rajat Patidar (53 off 20), and Tim David (34* off 16) all contributed in a match that produced a record 462-run aggregate — the highest ever in any MI vs RCB encounter. The previous record was RCB’s 235/1 from 2015, when Kohli (82*) and AB de Villiers (133*) added 215 unbroken.
Have MI and RCB ever met in an IPL final?
No. Despite both franchises appearing in multiple IPL finals, they have never met each other in a final. Their one and only knockout match was the 2011 Qualifier 2 in Chennai, which RCB won by 43 runs to reach the final. MI have won 5 titles and RCB 1, but their playoff paths have never led to a title decider between these two sides.
Who is the leading run-scorer in MI vs RCB IPL matches?
Virat Kohli leads by a considerable margin with close to 980 runs from his appearances against Mumbai Indians across all IPL seasons. He has scored runs at every venue the two sides have met — including the iconic 82* at Wankhede in 2015. Rohit Sharma is MI’s highest scorer against RCB with 629 runs, including a stunning 94 off 54 balls in 2018.
Who is the leading wicket-taker in MI vs RCB IPL matches?
Jasprit Bumrah leads all bowlers in this fixture with 29 wickets for Mumbai Indians. His best single-match performance was a devastating 5/21 against RCB at Wankhede on April 11, 2024 — the best bowling figures ever recorded in any MI vs RCB game. Yuzvendra Chahal (during his RCB years) and Harbhajan Singh (MI) are the next-best wicket-takers in the fixture with 20-plus scalps each.
Bottom Line
Mumbai Indians lead 21–15 all-time, but that number was built largely in the 2008–2017 block when Malinga and Pollard ran this rivalry as though it was their personal highlight reel. The modern MI vs RCB fixture — since 2018 — belongs to RCB, who have won 9 of 15 and taken four straight meetings heading into tonight at Raipur. The one factor that will decide this rivalry going forward is the Bumrah vs Kohli individual duel: when Bumrah is on, MI win; when Kohli is on, RCB win. Both are in the same XI again tonight, 7:30 PM IST, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. The head-to-head might shift by morning.
