Raipur
Indian Premier League witnessed another nail-biting finish as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by two wickets off the final ball at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing 167, RCB survived a dramatic collapse before reaching 167/8 on the last delivery of the match. The winning moment came when Bhuvneshwar Kumar smashed a crucial six off Deepak Chahar, sealing a memorable victory for Bengaluru.
RCB’s chase got off to the worst possible start as Virat Kohli was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar also departed cheaply, leaving Bengaluru struggling at 39/3 inside the powerplay.
With the innings under pressure, Jacob Bethell tried to stabilize the chase with a patient 26 off 27 balls, but it was Krunal Pandya who turned the game around with a stunning counterattacking knock. The all-rounder scored 73 runs off 46 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and five sixes while expertly managing the chase under intense pressure.
Krunal first stitched together a steady partnership with Bethell before combining with Jitesh Sharma, whose quick 18 off 12 balls shifted momentum back in RCB’s favour.
Just when Bengaluru appeared in control, Corbin Bosch brought Mumbai back into the game with a sensational spell. He dismissed Bethell, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David and later Krunal Pandya to finish with outstanding figures of 4/26.
The tension peaked in the final over as RCB needed crucial runs with only the lower order remaining. Romario Shepherd fell at a critical stage, leaving Bengaluru with a difficult equation in the final three balls. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept his composure and delivered the decisive blow with a match-winning six before scrambling the remaining runs alongside Rasikh Salam.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians recovered from a disastrous start to post 166/7. RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar dominated the powerplay by dismissing Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav early, reducing Mumbai to 28/3.
Despite the collapse, Naman Dhir played an aggressive knock of 47 off 32 balls, while Tilak Varma anchored the innings with a composed 57 off 42 deliveries. Their partnership helped Mumbai rebuild and cross the 160-run mark.
Bhuvneshwar returned brilliantly at the death to remove Tilak and ended with exceptional figures of 4/23, playing a decisive role both with the ball and bat.
The thrilling encounter witnessed momentum swings throughout, but Krunal Pandya’s match-winning innings and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s calm finish ensured RCB emerged victorious in one of the most dramatic matches of the IPL season.
