RCB edge Mumbai in last-ball, climb to top of IPL table
The defeat not only hurt Mumbai’s campaign but also officially ended Lucknow Super Giants’ hopes of reaching the playoffs.
KATHMANDU: Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced a dramatic last-ball victory over Mumbai Indians, sealing a thrilling two-wicket win to move to the top of the Indian Premier League points table.
The defeat not only hurt Mumbai’s campaign but also officially ended Lucknow Super Giants’ hopes of reaching the playoffs.
In the 54th match of the season played in Raipur on Sunday, Mumbai posted 166/7 after being asked to bat first.
Chasing 167, Bengaluru held their nerve to reach the target on the final ball, finishing on 167/8 in 20 overs.
With two runs required off the last delivery, Rasikh Salam dived back for the second run off Raj Bawa’s bowling to complete a sensational victory for RCB.
Krunal Pandya Leads the Chase
Krunal Pandya starred with the bat for Bengaluru, scoring a match-winning 73 off 46 balls in difficult batting conditions. His innings included four boundaries and five sixes and kept RCB in the chase after an early collapse.
RCB were struggling at 39/3 in the powerplay after losing Virat Kohli for a duck, Devdutt Padikkal for 12 and Rajat Patidar for eight. Krunal then rebuilt the innings with composure and aggression, while Jacob Bethell contributed a valuable 27 runs.
Bhuvneshwar Shines With the Ball
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as another key figure for RCB, claiming four wickets to keep Mumbai under pressure throughout the innings.
Bowling with the new ball, he removed Rohit Sharma for 22 and dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for a golden duck in a fiery opening spell.
Mumbai attempted a recovery through Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir after the early setbacks. Tilak Varma top-scored with 57, while Naman Dhir added 47 as the pair stitched together an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
However, Bengaluru’s bowlers tightened their grip in the death overs, restricting Mumbai to 166/7.
Tense Finish Goes RCB’s Way
The contest turned into a nail-biting finish in the closing stages. RCB needed 30 runs from the final three overs when Krunal shifted momentum with back-to-back sixes in the 18th over before getting dismissed.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled a brilliant 19th over, conceding just three runs to leave Bengaluru needing 12 in the final over.
Raj Bawa’s last over was packed with drama, including wides and a no-ball. With 10 needed from the final three deliveries, Bhuvneshwar smashed a crucial six to keep RCB alive.
On the final ball, Rasikh Salam completed a desperate second run to hand Bengaluru one of their most dramatic wins of the season.
