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Raipur
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won a dramatic last-ball thriller by two wickets against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. This shocking defeat eliminated MI from the IPL 2026 playoffs race.
MI batted first after losing the toss and struggled early, slumping to 28/3 in just three overs. Naman Dhir made 47 and Tilak Varma scored 57 off 42 balls, adding 82 runs off 57 balls to recover. But RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 4 wickets for 23 runs (4-23), limiting MI to 166/7 in 20 overs. Corbin Bosch also grabbed 4-26 for MI later.
RCB chased 167 on a tough pitch and faced their own top-order collapse in the powerplay. Krunal Pandya fought back with a gritty 73 off 46 balls (73(46)) to keep them alive. The match went to the final ball, with RCB needing two runs to win, after Bhuvneshwar Kumar smashed a huge six during the final over to seal the two-wicket victory.
This win boosted RCB to the top of the IPL 2026 points table. MI’s loss ended their playoff hopes due to a low points ceiling, also knocking out Lucknow Super Giants. Experts like Ambati Rayudu pointed to MI’s death-over tactics as key errors. Virat Kohli’s reaction captured the stadium’s wild joy.
The game highlighted IPL 2026’s tight race, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya shining as value players. Fans called it one of the season’s best finishes.
