IPL 2026: Krunal’s gritty 73, Bhuvneshwar’s last-ball heroics dump MI out in Raipur

Raipur: Royal Challengers Bengaluru snatched a thrilling two-wicket win on the final ball to eliminate Mumbai Indians from IPL 2026, holding their nerve in a high-stakes chase at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday. Krunal Pandya’s defiant 73 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ice-cool finish propelled RCB to 167/8 while hunting 167 on a batter-unfriendly pitch.

RCB’s pursuit unravelled early. Deepak Chahar cleaned up Virat Kohli for a golden duck in the first over, Devdutt Padikkal followed cheaply, and Corbin Bosch ousted captain Rajat Patidar, slumping RCB to 47/3 after the powerplay.

Mumbai dominated with Jasprit Bumrah’s probing lines, Bosch’s sharp bounce, and a slow surface stifling strokes. Jacob Bethell’s steady 27 offered brief respite, but Krunal Pandya seized control. He negotiated spin masterfully, sweeping Will Jacks and AM Ghazanfar to straight boundaries, his six over wide long-on forging a pivotal 50-run stand with Bethell that swung momentum.

Krunal soldiered on amid tumbling wickets, battling cramps yet assaulting Bosch and Ghazanfar to keep RCB in contention. Mumbai hit back hard: Bosch’s stellar 4-26 featured a maiden to snare Bethell, plus back-to-back strikes on Jitesh Sharma and Tim David. Bumrah’s near-perfect penultimate over leaked just three, setting RCB 15 off six.

Chaos defined the last over from Raj Bawa. A wide and no-ball gifted Romario Shepherd a free hit, but Bawa’s sharp catch at backward point dismissed him, teetering RCB on the brink.

Enter Bhuvneshwar Kumar, fresh off a bowling masterclass. His earlier new-ball burst—toppling Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav—had gutted MI’s top order to 28/3. Returning with bat, he shrugged off a wide bouncer, smashed a six over deep cover, then stole a single to set up two off the last ball. Rasikh Salam Dar drilled it past Bawa and dove for the winning second run amid RCB’s joyous eruption.

MI’s 166/7 stemmed from Tilak Varma’s anchored 57 off 42 and Naman Dhir’s punchy 47 in recovery mode, but Bhuvneshwar’s death-over choke (4/23) capped their total on the tricky deck.

For MI, Bosch (4-26), Chahar (2-33), and Bumrah shone in vain. RCB’s triumph—powered by Krunal’s middle-order grit and Bhuvneshwar’s clutch magic—ranks among IPL 2026’s finest thrillers.

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.

(Inputs from IANS)