Raipur, May 10 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru held their nerve in a pulsating last-ball thriller to knock Mumbai Indians out of the tournament with a dramatic two-wicket victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday. Chasing 167 on a surface that had troubled batters all evening, RCB rode on Krunal Pandya’s fighting 73 and an astonishing late cameo from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to seal the contest on the final delivery.

The chase began chaotically. Deepak Chahar struck a massive early blow by dismissing Virat Kohli for a golden duck in the very first over, while Devdutt Padikkal also fell cheaply as Mumbai reduced RCB to 24/2. Corbin Bosch then joined the party by removing captain Rajat Patidar, leaving RCB wobbling at 47/3 at the end of the powerplay.

At that stage, Mumbai appeared firmly in control. Jasprit Bumrah was probing relentlessly, Bosch was extracting awkward bounce, and the sluggish surface made strokeplay difficult. Jacob Bethell attempted to stabilise the innings with a patient 27, but it was Krunal Pandya who transformed the chase.

Krunal initially absorbed pressure before gradually taking control against the spinners. He used the angles smartly, swept aggressively against Will Jacks and AM Ghazanfar, and repeatedly targeted the straight boundary. His clean six over wide long-on off Ghazanfar brought up a crucial fifty-run stand with Bethell and shifted the momentum back toward RCB.

Even as wickets continued to tumble around him, Krunal kept the chase alive. He battled visible cramps during the closing stages, repeatedly dropping to the turf between deliveries, yet continued to attack. His calculated assault against Bosch and Ghazanfar ensured RCB remained within touching distance of the target.

Mumbai, however, kept responding. Bosch produced a sensational spell (4-26), including a wicket maiden that removed Bethell before later dismissing Jitesh Sharma and Tim David off successive deliveries. Bumrah’s penultimate over was equally exceptional, conceding just three runs and leaving RCB needing 15 off the final six balls.

What followed was pure chaos.

Raj Bawa began the final over with a wide and then overstepped, handing Romario Shepherd a free hit. But just when the equation seemed to tilt toward Bengaluru, Bawa dismissed Shepherd at the backward point to leave RCB staring at defeat.

That brought Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the crease.

Earlier in the evening, Bhuvneshwar had delivered a masterclass with the ball on a tricky surface, dismissing Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav with clever changes in length and pace. Now, with the bat, he produced the decisive moment of the night.

After surviving a wide bouncer, Bhuvneshwar launched Bawa over deep cover for a stunning six that completely changed the equation. Calm under immense pressure, he then nudged a single to leave two needed off the final ball.

Rasikh Salam Dar drilled the last delivery back past the bowler and sprinted back desperately for the second run, diving home to complete a memorable win as RCB players erupted in celebration.

For Mumbai, the defeat ended their campaign despite strong performances from Bosch, Chahar, and Bumrah. For Bengaluru, it was a victory defined by resilience, Krunal’s courage in the middle overs, and Bhuvneshwar’s nerveless finish, delivering one of the matches of the season.

In the first innings, MI posted 166/7 after a strong recovery led by Tilak Varma. Bhuvneshwar ripped through MI’s top order with a brilliant new-ball spell, dismissing Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav to leave Mumbai struggling at 28/3.

Tilak then anchored the innings with a composed 57 off 42 balls, while Naman Dhir added a valuable 47 in a crucial partnership. RCB fought back in the death overs through Bhuvneshwar, who finished with exceptional figures of 4/23, restricting Mumbai to a competitive but manageable total on a difficult surface.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 166/7 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 57, Naman Dhir 47; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-23, Romario Shepherd 1-18) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 167/8 in 20 overs (Krunal Pandya 73, Jacob Bethell 27; Corbin Bosch 4-26, Deepak Chahar 2-33) by 2 wickets.

–IANS

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