Mumbai Indians have been knocked out of the IPL 2026 playoff race after their last-over defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, on Sunday.
Krunal Pandya produced a stellar knock under immense pressure against his former franchise while Bhuvneshwar Kumar starred with both ball and bat as RCB edged MI by two wickets. Chasing 167 on a difficult surface offering uneven bounce and assistance to seamers, RCB held their nerve to deservedly climb back to the top of the points table with 14 points from 11 matches.
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The chase looked in danger of collapsing early after Virat Kohli fell for a duck in the second over. Attempting to force the pace,
Kohli drilled a drive straight to mid-off, where Raj Bawa held a sharp low catch off Deepak Chahar. Chahar struck again soon after when Devdutt Padikkal edged behind after a brisk cameo, while Rajat Patidar also departed cheaply as Corbin Bosch extracted extra bounce to force a mistimed shot.
At 39 for three inside the power play, RCB were struggling badly on a tricky pitch. Krunal, however, steadied the innings with composure and controlled aggression. Alongside Jacob Bethell, he rebuilt carefully while ensuring the asking rate did not spiral out of control. Bethell contributed a useful 26 before picking out Tilak Varma in the deep, ending a valuable 55-run partnership.
Krunal then took charge almost single-handedly. Battling cramps in the closing overs, he mixed sensible strike rotation with timely boundaries to keep RCB alive in the chase. Jitesh Sharma briefly provided momentum with an attacking 18 before Bosch dismissed him, and Tim David’s first-ball duck further tilted the game towards Mumbai.
The match turned dramatically in the 18th over when Krunal top-edged a chance high into the deep. Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma converged under the ball, but a communication lapse resulted in the catch being spilled. Krunal immediately capitalised, smashing two crucial sixes off AM Ghazanfar to bring the equation within reach.
Although Tilak redeemed himself with a fine catch to finally dismiss Krunal for a superb 73 off 46 balls, the game was still alive heading into the final over. With 15 required, Raj Bawa was entrusted with the ball, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar displayed remarkable composure. The veteran all-rounder struck a vital six and remained unbeaten on seven as RCB scrambled the winning runs off the final ball to seal a dramatic victory.
Earlier, Bhuvneshwar’s brilliance with the new ball had laid the foundation for the win. Exploiting the conditions expertly, the experienced seamer ripped through Mumbai’s top order to leave them reeling at 28 for three.
Ryan Rickelton miscued a lofted shot to mid-off, Rohit Sharma edged behind while reaching for a slower delivery, and stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav continued his lean season with another failure, nicking behind to Virat Kohli at slip.
Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir rescued Mumbai with a patient 82-run stand for the fourth wicket. Tilak survived an early reprieve when Suyash Sharma dropped a straightforward catch, and the left-hander made RCB pay with a gritty 57 off 42 balls. Dhir contributed 47 from 32 deliveries as the duo rebuilt carefully on a difficult surface.
However, once Dhir was dismissed by a delivery that kept low, Mumbai struggled to accelerate consistently. Bhuvneshwar returned to finish with outstanding figures of four for 23, recording his sixth three-wicket haul or better in IPL history and playing a decisive role in one of RCB’s most dramatic wins of the season.
