Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) edged past Mumbai Indians (MI) by two wickets in the 54th match of IPL 2026 at New Raipur. After being invited to bat first, Mumbai Indians managed to score 166/7 in 20 overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/23 in 4 overs) demolished the top order of Mumbai Indians. With back-to-back strikes from Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the third over, Mumbai Indians were struggling at 28/3. Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma then rescued MI by adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket. When Rasikh Salam dismissed Naman Dhir in the 13th over, Mumbai Indians were at 110/4. Short cameos from Will Jacks and Raj Bawa helped Mumbai Indians cross the 150-run mark. Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam, and Romario Shepherd also picked up one wicket each.

While chasing, RCB also lost three quick wickets in the powerplay. Corbin Bosch (4/26 in 4 overs) and Deepak Chahar (2/33 in 4 overs) rattled the RCB top order. Jacob Bethell added 55 runs for the fourth wicket with Krunal Pandya. After Jacob Bethell was dismissed in the 13th over, Jitesh Sharma added another 37 runs for the fifth wicket with Krunal Pandya. This partnership brought RCB closer to the target.

However, back-to-back wickets from Corbin Bosch in the 16th over brought Mumbai Indians back into the match. Allah Ghazanfar dismissed Krunal Pandya in the 18th over to give Mumbai Indians hope again.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit a six on the fourth ball of the final over and then took a single. Rasikh Salam then completed the chase with two runs off the last ball. RCB eventually won the match by two wickets. With this win, RCB climbed to the top of the table with 14 points, while Mumbai Indians were knocked out of the playoff race after this defeat.

Chaotic Final Ball Decides the Match

RCB needed two runs from the final ball. Raj Bawa bowled a near-perfect yorker to Rasikh Salam, who clipped the ball back towards the bowler. Bawa failed to gather the ball cleanly as it rolled towards mid-on. Ryan Rickelton collected the throw and attempted a run-out at the keeper’s end, but Rasikh completed a desperate dive and just made his ground to seal victory.

The dramatic finish stunned players and fans alike.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar Delivers an All-Round Masterclass

Bhuvneshwar Kumar almost single-handedly carried RCB to victory. He dominated with the ball early in the innings and later produced crucial runs with the bat. He removed three MI batters during a brilliant new-ball spell. Later, he also dismissed MI’s top scorer during the death overs at a key stage of the game.

Then, with RCB needing nine runs from the last three balls, Bhuvneshwar smashed Raj Bawa for a stunning six over sweeper cover. It was his first IPL six since 2016.

Krunal Pandya Anchors the Chase Under Pressure

Krunal Pandya also played a match-winning knock for RCB. Promoted to No. 5 after RCB slipped to 39 for 3, he controlled the innings while others struggled on the tricky pitch.

He scored 73 runs from 46 balls despite battling cramps in the later stages. Krunal consistently found boundaries and hit crucial sixes to keep RCB alive in the chase.

Difficult Pitch Creates Early Trouble

The Raipur surface created constant problems for batters. Balls either stayed low or bounced sharply from hard lengths, making strokeplay difficult. After RCB chose to bowl, Bhuvneshwar struck immediately. Ryan Rickelton mistimed a shot off a hard-length delivery and found the fielder.

Bhuvneshwar then bowled one of the finest deliveries of his IPL career. He used a knuckle-ball outswinger to dismiss Rohit Sharma, who edged the ball while attempting a drive. On the very next ball, he trapped Suryakumar Yadav with late swing and sent him back for a golden duck. MI collapsed to 28 for 3 in just three overs.

Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir Rebuild MI Innings

After the early collapse, Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir steadied the innings carefully. They focused on rebuilding instead of attacking recklessly. The pair added 82 runs from 57 balls and slowly brought MI back into the game. However, RCB broke the partnership at the perfect time.

Dhir looked dangerous after striking Rasikh Salam for consecutive boundaries, but a low delivery dismissed him. Later, Bhuvneshwar removed Tilak during the 18th over while he attempted a scoop shot. MI lost momentum badly after those wickets. Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh continued exploiting the difficult pitch conditions with hard lengths. MI managed only 11 runs in the final two overs.

Deepak Chahar and Bosch Hit Back for MI

Virat Kohli’s poor run continued as he departed for a golden duck. He attempted an aggressive shot against Deepak Chahar but mistimed it to mid-off. Chahar mixed loose deliveries with excellent ones. After conceding boundaries early, he bounced back strongly by dismissing Devdutt Padikkal with a superb delivery that straightened late.

Corbin Bosch then removed Rajat Patidar with a sharp short ball that cramped him for room. RCB quickly slipped to 39 for 3.

Krunal Changes the Match Momentum

Krunal Pandya slowly turned the match in RCB’s favour. He handled spin brilliantly and attacked whenever scoring opportunities appeared. At the other end, Jacob Bethell struggled to score freely and managed only 27 runs from 27 balls.

Krunal’s aggressive batting forced MI captain Suryakumar Yadav to rethink his bowling plans. Instead of using spinner Raghu Sharma more, MI relied on Raj Bawa’s medium pace. Krunal and Jitesh Sharma then attacked Bawa’s second over and collected 16 runs from it. That reduced the equation to 57 runs from 36 balls.

Jitesh Sharma Provides Crucial Cameo

Jitesh Sharma finally delivered an important contribution after a disappointing season. He scored 18 runs from 12 balls and played several key attacking shots. He struck Jasprit Bumrah for a classy punch through the off side and later hooked Bosch for six.

However, Bosch pulled MI back into the game with two wickets in two balls. He dismissed both Jitesh and Tim David, shifting momentum once again.

Krunal Battles Cramps in Dramatic Finish

With 30 runs needed from the final three overs, the pressure increased sharply. AM Ghazanfar nearly dismissed Krunal, but a miscommunication between Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir resulted in a dropped catch. Krunal, who was suffering from severe cramps, still managed to hit two massive sixes in the same over. After each shot, he collapsed to the ground in pain.

He attempted another six off the final ball of the over, but Tilak completed an excellent juggling catch at long-on.

Bumrah Delivers, But Bhuvneshwar Finishes the Job

Jasprit Bumrah bowled a brilliant 19th over to new batters Romario Shepherd and Rasikh Salam. He mixed yorkers and hard lengths perfectly and gave away only three runs. That left RCB needing 10 runs from the final three balls. Raj Bawa bowled the last over because MI had no frontline seamers remaining. He stuck to a wide-line strategy and forced Shepherd into mistakes before dismissing him.

RCB still needed 10 runs from three balls with Nos. 9 and 10 at the crease. Most teams would have lost from that position. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar refused to give up. His six and the dramatic final run helped RCB complete one of the most memorable wins of IPL 2026.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) produced a dramatic last-ball victory against Mumbai Indians (MI) in one of the most exciting matches of IPL 2026. The tense contest took place on a difficult two-paced pitch in Raipur and ended with RCB climbing to the top of the points table.

The defeat knocked not only MI but also Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) out of playoff contention. RCB also ended their own two-match losing streak with the thrilling win. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!