RCB defeated MI by 2 wickets in a last-ball thriller in Raipur, powered by Krunal Pandya’s 73* and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 4-23, to move to the top of IPL 2026, while MI were knocked out.
IPL 2026: Krunal Pandya’s 73 and Bhuvneshwar’s 4-23 seal final-ball thriller as RCB go top, MI eliminated (PC: IPL/X)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) edged out Mumbai Indians (MI) in a nerve-wracking final-ball finish at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, sealing a two-wicket win that took them to the top of the IPL 2026 points table and ended MI’s playoff hopes.
Chasing 167, RCB rode on a composed yet fiery 73 off 46 balls from Krunal Pandya, who anchored the chase under pressure and kept Bengaluru alive till the very end.
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Earlier, MI posted 166/7 after a mixed batting effort. Tilak Varma top-scored with a fluent 57 off 42 balls, while Naman Dhir contributed a fighting 47 off 32 as the duo rebuilt after early damage.
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The innings, however, belonged to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who produced a vintage new-ball spell of 4/23. He dismantled MI’s top order by removing Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (0) and later Tilak Varma, leaving MI in constant recovery mode.
MI did briefly counterattack through Rohit’s early burst and Tilak–Dhir partnership, but RCB’s discipline in the middle and death overs ensured they never fully broke free. Rasikh Salam Dar chipped in with key breakthroughs, while the final five overs saw MI restricted to just 31 runs.
In reply, RCB’s chase started shakily after early setbacks, but Krunal Pandya held firm through the middle overs, absorbing pressure and rotating strike smartly. Despite MI tightening the screws late on, RCB kept pushing the equation down to a tense final over.
With 10 needed off the last four balls, the chase swung dramatically before RCB held their nerve, completing the win off the final delivery in a finish that had Raipur on edge.
The result pushes RCB to the top of the IPL 2026 standings with 14 points (NRR +1.234), while MI, now on six points from 11 matches, are officially eliminated from the playoff race.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Angad Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Allah Ghazanfar.
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