IPL 2025: Virat Kohli lights up Wankhede with fiery 50¡ªMI crowd erupts in chants
RCB batter Virat Kohli gave the Wankhede crowd exactly what they came for. The King lit up the stadium with a blazing 29-ball half-century, which included a stunning six off MI pacer Jasprit Bumrah who just returned from injury.
Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), both aiming to recover from recent defeats, clashed at Wankhede Stadium in Match 20 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. While Wankhede is considered MI's home fortress, there's hardly a ground¡ªespecially in India¡ªwhere chants of "Kohli, Kohli" don't echo through the stands.
And Virat Kohli gave the crowd exactly what they came for. The King lit up the stadium with a blazing 29-ball half-century, which included a stunning six off Jasprit Bumrah on the very first ball of his over. The sea of blue and red jerseys united in their roar, giving Kohli the ovation he rightfully earned.
?????-?? ??????????? ?
¡ª IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 7, 2025
How much are you enjoying Virat Kohli's knock at Wankhede? ?
Updates ? https://t.co/Arsodkwgqg#TATAIPL | #MIvRCB | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/vUcTDjhf2p
"Kohli, Kohli" chants at Wankhede
In fact, when Jasprit Bumrah came on to bowl, the stadium DJ tried to rally the crowd with chants of "Boom Boom", prompting the expected response of "Bumrah!" from the stands. But it didn't take long for the energy to shift back¡ªalmost instantly, the chorus of "Kohli, Kohli" began to rise once again, overpowering the DJ's efforts.
DJ asking to chant "Boom Boom" Wankhede crowd chanting "Kohli Kohli" pic.twitter.com/p8yOcQz2im
¡ª a (@kollytard) April 7, 2025
Fans were quick to notice a pattern: every time Kohli chants grew louder, the DJ would jump in, urging the crowd to switch to something else¡ªfueling speculation online that even the stadium was struggling to contain the Kohli mania.
Fans react
As the RCB batter smashed his 50, fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) were seen praising him and also stating how Kohli came with an intent to get his side to a good score. One said, "Incredible six to reach the half century from King Kohli".
Incredible six to reach the half century from King Kohli ???#MIvsRCB
¡ª Ambati Karthik (@AmbatiKarthik7) April 7, 2025
Another wrote, "Virat Kohli is on fire! What a beastly knock at Wankhede!"
"Virat Kohli is on fire! What a beastly knock at Wankhede!
¡ª Xeavi (@Xeavi_1) April 7, 2025
One added, "Kohli Kohli chants taking over MI¡¯s so-called fortress! The man owns their turf like it¡¯s his backyard!"
Kohli Kohli chants taking over MI¡¯s so-called fortress!
¡ª SHADAB ??? (@shadab_strom) April 7, 2025
The man owns their turf like it¡¯s his backyard! ?#ViratKohli? ???? pic.twitter.com/5gsXw5HeIW
About MI vs RCB
As the scoreboard kept moving steadily in RCB's favor, MI skipper Hardik Pandya turned the tide by picking up two wickets in the span of just three balls¡ªone of them being Virat Kohli, who departed after a stellar 42-ball 67. With Kohli back in the dugout, RCB captain Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma now hold the crease. The Bengaluru skipper also got his 25-ball 50.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Santner's final over proved costly, conceding 20 runs and releasing some pressure for RCB. As of writing this article, 17 overs were done with RCB scoring 192 runs and losing 4 wickets.
Impact Sub Update: Rohit Sharma has entered the field as MI's impact substitute, replacing Vignesh Puthur.
Teams
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Subs: Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Swastik Chikara, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Vignesh Puthur
Impact Subs: Rohit Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa
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Karen Noronha is a versatile journalist with a passion for sports and K-pop. With over 7 years of experience at publications like IBTimes UK, DNA, and OTTPlay/DesiMartini, she seamlessly transitions between covering global athletic events and the dynamic world of K-pop.
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