In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru maintained composure during an exciting last-ball thriller to eliminate Mumbai Indians from the competition with an exciting two-wicket victory on Sunday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
On a pitch that had given batters problems all night, RCB chased 167 and secured the victory on the last ball thanks to Krunal Pandya’s valiant 73 and an incredible late cameo from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The pursuit started off haphazardly. As Mumbai reduced RCB to 24/2, Devdutt Padikkal also fell cheaply while Deepak Chahar dealt a significant early blow by dismissing Virat Kohli for a golden duck in the very first over. Corbin Bosch then entered the game, taking out captain Rajat Patidar and leaving RCB in a precarious situation at 47/3 at the conclusion of the powerplay.
Mumbai seemed to be in charge at that point. The slow surface made it hard to play strokes, Bosch was bringing out awkward bounce, and Jasprit Bumrah was probing relentlessly. Krunal Pandya changed the course of the chase, even though Jacob Bethell made a cautious effort to steady the innings with a patient 27.
At first, Krunal absorbed pressure before gradually gaining control over the spinners. He repeatedly attacked the straight boundary, skillfully used the angles, and swept aggressively against Will Jacks and AM Ghazanfar. With Bethell, his clean six over wide long-on off Ghazanfar helped establish a vital fifty-run partnership and turn the tide in favor of RCB.
Krunal maintained the chase alive despite the fall of wickets all around him. Between throws, he kept falling to the ground as he fought through evident cramps in the final moments, but he didn’t stop his offensive. By planning his attack on Bosch and Ghazanfar, he made sure RCB stayed within striking distance of the goal.
But Mumbai continued to answer. Bosch’s outstanding spell (4-26) included a wicket maiden that took out Bethell before he later bowled Tim David and Jitesh Sharma out in consecutive balls. With only three runs allowed in Bumrah’s second-to-last over, it was just as outstanding, leaving RCB needing 15 runs from the last six deliveries.
Romario Shepherd received a free hit when Raj Bawa overstepped the first ball of the last over after it was too wide. However, just as Bengaluru appeared to be gaining the upper hand in the match, Bawa sacked Shepherd at the backward position, leaving RCB facing a loss.
Earlier in the evening, Bhuvneshwar had bowled a masterclass on a tough pitch, using intelligent variations in length and speed to dismiss Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. He created the pivotal moment of the evening by using the bat.
Bhuvneshwar hit Bawa over deep cover for a beautiful six that flipped the game entirely after surviving a wide bouncer. He maintained composure even under extreme pressure and then pushed a single to leave two needed off the last ball.
Rasikh Salam Dar hammered the final ball past the bowler and raced back for the second run, diving home to seal a spectacular victory as the RCB team rejoiced.
Despite outstanding play from Bumrah, Chahar, and Bosch, the defeat brought Mumbai’s season to an end. The win for Bengaluru was characterized by Bhuvneshwar’s nerveless conclusion, Krunal’s bravery in the middle overs, and resilience, making it one of the games of the year.
Tilak Varma’s excellent recovery helped MI score 166/7 in the first innings. With a superb new-ball spell, Bhuvneshwar shredded through MI’s top order, taking the wickets of Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav to leave Mumbai in disarray at 28/3.
With a cool 57 off 42 balls, Tilak then held the innings together, while Naman Dhir scored a crucial 47 in a vital partnership. Bhuvneshwar helped RCB battle back in the last few overs, limiting Mumbai to a competitive but manageable score on a challenging pitch, and he finished with amazing stats of 4/23.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 166/7 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 57, Naman Dhir 47; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-23, Romario Shepherd 1-18)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 167/8 in 20 overs (Krunal Pandya 73, Jacob Bethell 27; Corbin Bosch 4-26, Deepak Chahar 2-33)