NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians captain Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to entrust the final over to young Raj Angad Bawa backfired as Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured a dramatic two-wicket victory in a last-ball thriller at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday. With this win, RCB knocked Mumbai Indians out of the tournament.
Match Summary
Chasing 167 on a challenging surface, RCB relied on Krunal Pandya’s gritty 73 and a stunning late cameo from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to seal the contest on the final delivery. Jasprit Bumrah’s penultimate over conceded just three runs, leaving RCB needing 15 off the last six balls. Despite having Allah Ghazanfar and Will Jacks with overs remaining, Suryakumar handed the ball to Bawa.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Explanation
During the post-match press conference, Suryakumar defended his decision: “I think he (Raj Bawa) had been practicing death bowling really well and was a completely different all-rounder this year. He almost pulled it off for us.” He added, “We were 10-15 runs short. Wrong timing of wickets while batting hurt us. Naman and Tilak batted beautifully and showed character. The way Tilak came back and took that catch showed he wanted to do something special. It’s part of the game.”
Impact on Points Table
Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 14 points from 11 matches (seven wins, four losses) and a net run rate of +1.103, the best among all teams. This moved them above Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans, who are also on 14 points. For Mumbai Indians, the defeat ended their playoff hopes. MI are ninth with three wins and eight losses, managing only six points and a net run rate of -0.585.
Key Performances
- Krunal Pandya: 73 runs off 49 balls
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 18 runs off 8 balls
- Jasprit Bumrah: 1/22 in 4 overs
- Raj Bawa: 0/28 in 1 over (final over)
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