Tim David hammered 70 runs off 25 balls against the Chennai Super Kings, one of the biggest highlights of the match, and reminded Mumbai Indians exactly what they gave up when they let him go. The power-hitter's burst came with the kind of force that changes a game in minutes and, just as sharply, changes the way a release decision is judged.
Mumbai Indians picked David in the 2022 mega auction and brought him in as a finisher, reportedly seeing him as the future answer in that role as Kieron Pollard was nearing the end of his IPL career. Ahead of the 2025 auction, though, Mumbai released him, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru moved quickly to sign him. David is now with Bengaluru, and the timing of his form has put that move back under a harsh light.
That backdrop matters because Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Mumbai Indians on April 12, 2026, at Wankhede Stadium, a meeting that now carries more edge than routine league fixtures usually do. For Mumbai, it is the chance to measure a decision against the kind of innings that made David look like a finisher built for the big stage.
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The friction is clear enough. Mumbai Indians once recruited David as the player who could grow into Pollard's role, then cut him loose before the 2025 auction, while Bengaluru took the bet that he still had more to give. His 70 off 25 against Chennai Super Kings has made that choice look expensive, and the next time he walks out against his old team, the question will not be whether he belongs in the league. It will be whether Mumbai let him leave too soon.
