Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed to the top of the IPL 2026 points table after pulling off a dramatic two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in a nail-biting contest at Raipur. The chase went down to the final delivery as RCB hunted down 167 with exactly two wickets remaining.
Mumbai Indians posted 166/7 after being asked to bat first. Their innings was rebuilt by Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir after an early collapse triggered by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Rohit Sharma provided a quick start with 22 off just 10 balls, but Bhuvneshwar removed both openers and also dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for a duck to put MI under pressure immediately.
Tilak Varma anchored the innings beautifully with 57 from 42 deliveries, while Naman Dhir counterattacked with 47 off 32 balls. The pair added an important 82-run stand that steadied Mumbai after the powerplay setbacks. However, RCB kept striking at regular intervals and prevented MI from exploding in the death overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout bowler for Bengaluru, returning outstanding figures of 4/23 in his four overs. Romario Shepherd and Josh Hazlewood chipped in with crucial wickets as MI finished slightly below what looked possible at one stage.
RCB’s chase started disastrously when Virat Kohli departed for a duck, his second duck of the season. Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar also fell cheaply, leaving Bengaluru wobbling early in the innings. Mumbai’s bowlers, led by Deepak Chahar and Corbin Bosch, tightened the screws and forced RCB into survival mode.
That is when Krunal Pandya produced one of the innings of the season. Battling cramps and mounting pressure, Krunal played a fearless knock of 73 from 46 balls and kept RCB alive throughout the chase. Jacob Bethell supported him with a useful partnership that revived Bengaluru’s hopes. Even after wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Krunal continued to find boundaries and drag the game deep.
The final over became pure chaos. RCB required 15 runs from six balls against Raj Bawa. Wides added extra pressure on Mumbai, and then came the decisive moment — Bhuvneshwar Kumar smashed a stunning six over deep cover to swing momentum dramatically back towards Bengaluru.
With two needed off the final ball, Rasikh Salam Dar drove the ball back towards the bowler and sprinted hard for the second run. A direct-hit opportunity slipped away, and RCB completed a thrilling victory on the final delivery.
The result had major implications for the tournament standings. RCB moved to the top of the table and strengthened their playoff chances significantly, while the defeat officially knocked Mumbai Indians out of the playoff race.
