RCB Beat MI in Last-Ball Thriller to Knock Five-Time Champions Out of IPL Playoff Race

Royal Challengers Bengaluru held their nerves in a dramatic final-over finish to defeat Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling IPL 2026 clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium here on Sunday.

The defeat officially ended Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes, while RCB strengthened their chances of securing a top-four finish in the league stage.

Asked to bat first, Mumbai Indians suffered a disastrous start, slipping to 28/3 within the opening three overs. Rohit Sharma failed to convert his start, while Suryakumar Yadav departed for a first-ball duck, putting the five-time champions under immediate pressure.

However, Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir steadied the innings with a crucial 82-run partnership. Tilak played a composed knock of 57, mixing caution with aggression, while Dhir contributed a valuable 47 to help MI recover from the early collapse.

RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar then turned the tide with an outstanding spell of 4/23, removing key batters at crucial stages to restrict MI to 166/7 in 20 overs. Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar and Romario Shepherd chipped in with one wicket each.

Chasing 167, RCB too faced early setbacks. Virat Kohli was dismissed for a duck for the second consecutive match after Deepak Chahar struck in the opening overs. Mumbai bowlers kept the pressure on by taking wickets regularly, with Corbin Bosch emerging as the standout performer.

But Krunal Pandya produced a fighting innings under pressure, smashing 73 off 46 balls to keep RCB in the chase. With the equation coming down to 15 runs off the final over, the match headed towards a tense finish.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar swung the momentum with a crucial six before the game went down to the final delivery. Needing one run off the last ball, Rasikh Salam Dar scrambled through after confusion between Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir while attempting a catch near the boundary, sealing a memorable win for Bengaluru.

For MI, Corbin Bosch claimed 4/26, while Deepak Chahar picked up 2/33.

Brief Scores:

Mumbai Indians: 166/7 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 57, Naman Dhir 47; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/23).

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 167/8 in 20 overs (Krunal Pandya 73; Corbin Bosch 4/26).