Bhuvneshwar Kumar dominated with the ball and hit an all-important six in the last game to power Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a 2-wicket win on the last ball of the game in Raipur. Bhuvneshwar took four wickets and Krunal Pandya scored 73 runs as RCB chased down a 167-run target to eliminate Mumbai Indians from the IPL 2026 playoff race.
With seven wins in 11 games, the defending champions jumped to the top of the points table with a superior net run rate. Without their captain Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians conceded their 8th defeat of the season and became the second team after Lucknow Super Giants to suffer an early elimination.
With three games in hand, RCB are now the favorites to finish in the top two in the points table and secure a place in the first Qualifier.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar shines with ball again
Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismisses Ryan Rickelton in the first over of the game to give RCB a strong start in the first match of the season in Raipur. He also dismissed Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav early in powerplay to put Mumbai under pressure.
Tilak Varam and Naman Dhir paved a way back for Mumbai with an 82-run stand for the fourth wicket, with the former top-scoring with 57 runs off 42 balls. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck late with Tilak's wicket and denied MI a strong finish at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
Bhuvneshwar finished with 4 for 23, his best figures this season, and regained a lead in the Purple Cap with 21 wickets in just 11 innings.
RCB pull off chase after another duck for Virat Kohli
Deepak Chahar dismissed Virat Kohli on a golden duck in the first over and in-form Devdutt Padikkal in the third over to balance the game in the powerplay. Corbin Bosch then dismissed Rajat Patidar cheaply to give Mumbai an edge in the low-score defence.
Jacob Bethell and Krunal Pandya kept RCB alive with a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket. Bethell struggled to convert his good start into a big knock, as Mumbai made a strong comeback in the middle overs with Bosch taking four wickets. Jitesh Sharma and Tim David failed to support Krunal with another disappointing performance.
Krunal fell on the last ball of the 18th over when RCB needed 18 for 12. Chasing 15 runs in the last over from Raj Angad Bawa, Romario Shepherd fell on the third ball after scoring four runs in 12 balls.
With 10 runs needed in 3 balls, Bhuvneshwar Kumar arrived and smashed Bawa for a stunning six over the covers to take the game to the wire. He then played the penultimate delivery for the single and Rasikh Dar scored two runs on the last ball to win a thriller for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Krunal Pandya top-scored with 73 runs off 46 balls with the help of four fours and five sixes. Bhuvneshwar claimed the Player of the Match award for his four wickets and the stunning six in the last over.
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