Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed to the top of the IPL 2026 points table after defeating Mumbai Indians in a thrilling last ball encounter at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. In one of the most dramatic matches of the season, Krunal Pandya delivered a match winning all round performance as RCB secured a tense two wicket victory and officially ended Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes.
The defeat also confirmed the elimination of Lucknow Super Giants from the tournament, making it a devastating night for both struggling franchises.
Krunal Pandya emerged as the undisputed hero for Bengaluru with a magnificent 73 runs from 46 deliveries in a high pressure chase. His innings, filled with calculated aggression and composure, guided RCB through multiple difficult phases before the team finally crossed the target on the final ball of the match.
The dramatic victory marked Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s second successful last ball chase against Mumbai Indians in IPL history after their famous win during the 2021 season.
Earlier in the evening, Mumbai Indians posted 166 for 7 after recovering from a disastrous start thanks to crucial contributions from Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir. However, despite a sensational bowling spell from Corbin Bosch during the chase, Mumbai once again failed to defend their total under pressure.
The result significantly strengthened Bengaluru’s playoff momentum while pushing Mumbai Indians officially out of contention after another disappointing campaign.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru began the chase in disastrous fashion.
Virat Kohli was dismissed for a first ball duck by Deepak Chahar in the opening over, sending shockwaves through the Bengaluru camp. The dismissal marked only the second time in Kohli’s IPL career that he recorded ducks in consecutive innings.
Mumbai quickly tightened control when Chahar dismissed Devdutt Padikkal for 12 in the next over. Captain Rajat Patidar also failed to settle and departed for just 8 after falling to Corbin Bosch during the powerplay.
At that stage, Mumbai Indians appeared firmly in control with Bengaluru struggling badly at the top order.
However, Krunal Pandya completely transformed the momentum of the match.
The experienced all rounder stitched together a stabilising partnership with Jacob Bethell and calmly rebuilt the innings after the early collapse. Krunal rotated strike intelligently while also punishing loose deliveries whenever Mumbai bowlers lost discipline.
Jacob Bethell contributed a useful 27 runs, helping Bengaluru recover to 74 for 3 at the halfway stage.
Corbin Bosch then produced another important breakthrough when he dismissed Bethell in the 13th over. Bosch also bowled a remarkable maiden over during the middle phase, becoming the first bowler in IPL 2026 to deliver a maiden between overs seven and fifteen.
Mumbai once again sensed an opportunity to regain complete control.
However, Krunal Pandya continued batting with remarkable maturity and confidence.
Jitesh Sharma provided important support through an aggressive cameo that shifted pressure back onto Mumbai. His attacking approach allowed Krunal additional freedom as Bengaluru accelerated during the later stages of the chase.
Krunal reached his half century during the fifteenth over and continued launching counter attacks despite mounting scoreboard pressure.
Corbin Bosch remained Mumbai’s biggest weapon with the ball and delivered another huge moment by dismissing Jitesh Sharma for 18 before removing Tim David for a golden duck immediately afterward.
Suddenly, the match swung dramatically once again toward Mumbai Indians.
But Krunal refused to surrender.
The left handed batter smashed two massive sixes against AM Ghazanfar and kept Bengaluru alive even as wickets continued falling at the other end.
When Krunal finally departed after scoring a brilliant 73, the match had entered a nerve wracking final over situation.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled a sensational nineteenth over, conceding just three runs and pushing immense pressure onto Bengaluru before the last six balls.
Mumbai still needed one final breakthrough to complete an unlikely victory.
In the final over, Raj Bawa dismissed Romario Shepherd and increased the tension further. However, experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced one of the defining moments of the match by smashing a crucial six under enormous pressure.
With the equation narrowing down to the final delivery, Rasikh Salam Dar held his nerve and collected the winning runs to complete a dramatic Bengaluru triumph.
The victory pushed Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the top of the IPL 2026 standings with seven wins from eleven matches.
For Mumbai Indians, the defeat officially ended their playoff campaign and extended an extremely disappointing season filled with inconsistency, injuries and missed opportunities.
Earlier in the match, Mumbai Indians had endured a nightmare start with the bat.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered one of the best bowling spells of IPL 2026 and dismantled Mumbai’s top order almost single handedly.
The veteran pacer struck in the opening over by dismissing Ryan Rickelton cheaply before Rohit Sharma briefly counter attacked with aggressive strokeplay.
Rohit smashed Josh Hazlewood for eighteen runs during one over and attempted to regain momentum for Mumbai. However, Bhuvneshwar quickly responded and dismissed Rohit for 22 from 10 deliveries.
In the same spell, Bhuvneshwar removed stand in captain Suryakumar Yadav for a golden duck, leaving Mumbai reeling at 28 for 3.
At that stage, a complete batting collapse looked inevitable.
But Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir rescued Mumbai brilliantly.
The pair added a crucial 82 run partnership that stabilised the innings and revived Mumbai’s hopes of posting a competitive total.
Naman Dhir played aggressively and scored 47 from 32 balls while Tilak Varma anchored the innings with a composed half century.
The partnership shifted momentum back toward Mumbai and briefly threatened to produce a total well beyond 180.
However, Royal Challengers Bengaluru regained control through timely breakthroughs.
Rasikh Salam Dar dismissed Naman Dhir at a critical stage while Romario Shepherd removed Will Jacks shortly afterward.
Tilak Varma eventually completed his fifty, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned once again and dismissed him during the eighteenth over.
Josh Hazlewood also contributed important overs during the death phase and restricted Mumbai’s late acceleration.
Bhuvneshwar finished with exceptional figures of 4 for 23 and remained one of the biggest reasons why Mumbai could not fully capitalise after the recovery partnership.
Despite the defeat, Corbin Bosch’s performance emerged as one of the strongest positives for Mumbai Indians.
The South African all rounder delivered a brilliant spell, picked up four wickets and nearly carried Mumbai to victory through disciplined bowling under pressure.
However, Mumbai’s inability to close out crucial moments once again proved costly in a season where narrow defeats repeatedly damaged their campaign.
For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the victory reinforced their growing reputation as one of the strongest teams in IPL 2026.
Krunal Pandya’s innings received widespread praise for combining composure, power hitting and intelligent game awareness during a high pressure chase.
The result also demonstrated Bengaluru’s improved temperament in close contests, something that had often troubled the franchise in previous seasons.
As the tournament moves closer toward the playoff stage, Royal Challengers Bengaluru now appear firmly positioned among the strongest contenders for qualification.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians will now focus on rebuilding after a season that failed to meet expectations despite possessing one of the most experienced squads in the competition.
