At a glance:
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling last-ball finish in Raipur.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar starred with the ball taking 4/23
- RCB’s win and knock MI out of playoff contention.
In a thrilling last-ball match here in Raipur, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated the Mumbai Indians by two wickets. Thus, MI were eliminated from the playoffs.
As Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl first on a hard, black soil surface, Bhuvneshwar struck three times in the Powerplay to get the upper hand in the match against the Mumbai Indians.
Opening the bowling for his side, Bhuvneshwar Kumar made an immediate impact by dismissing MI opener Ryan Rickelton for just two runs. He struck twice in his opening two overs during the powerplay before removing Rohit Sharma for a duck, claiming his third wicket of the day and extending the MI captain’s disappointing run of form.
Meanwhile, Naman Dhir held firm at one end as wickets continued to tumble around him. The innings began to stabilise once Tilak Varma arrived at the crease, with the pair taking control through the middle overs. Dhir and Varma put together a crucial 82-run partnership from 57 balls before Dhir fell agonisingly short of a half-century, bowled by Rasikh Dar for 47.
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Mumbai Indians Put a Fighting Total on the Scoreboard
As the innings progressed, Tilak Varma brought up a fighting half-century and briefly looked capable of turning the game in MI’s favour. However, his knock ended on 57 when he fell to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who produced a devastating spell to dismantle the MI batting line-up. The right-arm pacer finished with outstanding figures of 4-23 from his four overs.
Late cameos from Will Jacks and Raj Bawa helped MI post a competitive total of 166, but it ultimately proved below par against a strong RCB batting unit.
Despite the modest target, MI made an encouraging start with the ball as Deepak Chahar struck twice in his opening spell to remove Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, giving the home side early hope in the chase.
Virat Reaches Unwanted Record
Virat Kohli endured another disappointing outing as he returned to the dressing room after scoring a second consecutive duck. Prince Yadav bowled Virat Kohli for a two-ball duck against Lucknow Super Giants and the experienced batter followed it with another rare failure in back-to-back innings.
Prior to these consecutive ducks in the 2026 season, Kohli’s last golden duck in an IPL run chase was in 2017 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata against the Kolkata Knight Riders, captained by Gautam Gambhir, during the notorious game in which RCB were dismissed for just 49 runs.
RCB Ends MI Playoff Hopes
The game was back in the balance on eight when Patidar skied a catch off Corbin Bosch to the keeper. In order to steady the ship, Krunal was elevated to number five.
The introduction of spin allowed the left-hander to shift momentum once again as he mixed sweeps with powerful strokes down the ground, punishing anything over-pitched. Bosch briefly pushed MI ahead with a cluster of quick wickets, but Krunal battled through visible cramps to keep RCB within touching distance.
Bhuvneshwar then came back to score a vital six in the final over to secure a surprise victory, ruining MI’s hopes of making the playoffs.
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