Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by 2 wickets in a thrilling match played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Monday and secured the first place in the points table of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. With this defeat, Mumbai’s hopes of reaching the playoffs were completely destroyed.
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Krunal Pandya’s struggling half-century and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s lethal bowling brought Bengaluru out of a difficult situation and gave it a memorable victory. The team was under constant pressure while chasing the target, but Krunal held one end and continued the fight till the end.
Enjoy playing in difficult conditions: Krunal Pandya
After the match, Krunal Pandya said that he likes to take responsibility in pressure matches. He told that he always keeps himself prepared for difficult situations and he gets a different satisfaction in performing on such occasions.
Krunal also humorously admitted that he had to face a lot of cramps while batting. He said that initially there was problem in the legs, then the pain reached other parts of the body. After this he indicated that now he will have to pay more attention to his diet and the amount of water in his body.
Bhuvneshwar pushed Mumbai on the backfoot with initial shocks.
Mumbai Indians had a very bad start. Bhuvneshwar Kumar first dismissed Ryan Rickelton early and then gave a big blow to Mumbai by sending Rohit Sharma to the pavilion. After this he let acting captain Suryakumar Yadav go without opening the account.
After the fall of three early wickets, Naman Dheer and Tilak Verma tried to control the innings. Both the batsmen made important partnerships and gave stability to the team. Naman Dheer was out after scoring 47 runs, while Tilak Verma completed his half-century. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar completed the fourth victim of his brilliant bowling by taking the wicket of Tilak.
Mumbai could not succeed in making a big score in the last overs and could only score 166 runs in the stipulated 20 overs.
Krunal became the troubleshooter after Bengaluru’s bad start.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, who set out to chase the target, also had a very disappointing start. Deepak Chahar dismissed Virat Kohli without opening the account. After this Devdutt Padikkal also quickly returned to the pavilion.
Rajat Patidar and Jacob Bethel tried to add some runs, but Mumbai bowlers continued to maintain pressure. Corbin Bosch bowled brilliantly and shook the middle order of Bengaluru. Jitesh Sharma and Tim David also could not last long.
Wickets kept falling on one side, but Pandya did not lose his composure. He kept the team in the competition by batting according to the situation. The left-handed batsman played an important inning of 73 runs and kept the hopes of victory alive.
Bhuvneshwar’s shot changed the match
The match became very exciting in the last overs. Even after Krunal’s dismissal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashikh Salam maintained patience. By taking two runs on the last ball, both the players gave victory to Bengaluru. During this, Bhuvi also hit a brilliant six over the covers.
After the match, Krunal praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar profusely. He said that the big shot by Bhuvneshwar was the most important moment of the match. According to Pandya, this was a pitch where intelligence and correct cricketing shots were required.
Called Kieron Pollard a great T20 player
Krunal Pandya also remembered his old teammate Kieron Pollard. He said that his initial years spent in Mumbai Indians were very special and during that time Pandya brothers and Pollard were the strength of the team.
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Describing Pollard as a great player of T20 cricket, Krunal said that he has won many trophies and countless matches on his own. He also said that good players never remain under pressure for long and know how to bounce back.
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