Royal Challengers Bengaluru returned to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with a tense two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in Raipur, ending both MI and Lucknow Super Giants’ playoff hopes in the process.
On a difficult two-paced surface, RCB chased 167 off the final ball, with Rasikh Salam completing the second run after Raj Bawa failed to gather cleanly off his own bowling. Ryan Rickelton broke the stumps at the keeper’s end, but Rasikh’s dive was enough to seal a dramatic victory.
Bhuvneshwar Strikes Early
After RCB chose to bowl, Bhuvneshwar Kumar made immediate use of the awkward pitch. He dismissed Rickelton in the first over with a hard-length delivery that climbed on the batter and forced a mis-hit to mid-off.
Bhuvneshwar then produced a high-class double strike, removing Rohit Sharma with a knuckle-ball outswinger before dismissing Suryakumar Yadav for a golden duck with late movement to slip. MI were reduced to 28 for 3 inside three overs.
Tilak and Dhir Rebuild for MI
Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma steadied the innings with an 82-run partnership from 57 balls. With the surface offering uneven bounce, the pair focused on rebuilding before looking to push late.
More Read
RCB struck just as MI were preparing to accelerate. Dhir fell after scoring 47, while Bhuvneshwar returned in the 18th over to remove Tilak for 57. MI managed only 11 runs from the final two overs and finished on 166 for 7.
Chahar and Bosch Hit Back
RCB’s chase began poorly when Virat Kohli fell for a golden duck, miscuing Deepak Chahar to mid-off. Chahar later removed Devdutt Padikkal with a delivery that straightened from round the wicket.
Corbin Bosch then dismissed Rajat Patidar in the final over of the powerplay, using the pitch’s extra bounce to force a top edge. RCB were under pressure at 39 for 3 when Krunal Pandya walked in.
More Read
Krunal Keeps RCB Alive
Krunal took control of the chase with a composed but aggressive 73 off 46 balls. While Jacob Bethell struggled for fluency in a 27-run innings, Krunal found boundaries regularly and handled spin with confidence.
His partnership with Bethell helped RCB recover, and later, with the equation at 57 from 36 balls, the chase remained alive.
Final Overs Bring High Drama
Jitesh Sharma added a useful 18 off 12 before Bosch struck twice in two balls to remove him and Tim David. Chahar then conceded only six in the 17th over, leaving RCB needing 30 from the final three overs.
Krunal, struggling with cramps, survived a missed relay-catch chance before hitting two sixes in the 18th over. He fell later in the same over after Tilak judged a running catch at long-on.
Jasprit Bumrah then bowled a superb 19th over, giving away only three runs to leave RCB needing 15 from the last. Bawa was tasked with defending it, and despite removing Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar kept RCB alive with a six over cover.
With two needed off the last ball, Rasikh’s desperate second run completed one of the most dramatic finishes of the season and sent RCB to the top of the table.
