Royal Challengers Bengaluru survived a dramatic late scare to defeat Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling IPL encounter in Raipur. Riding on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s sensational spell and Krunal Pandya’s heroic all-round effort, RCB climbed to the top of the points table, while Mumbai’s playoff hopes suffered a massive blow.
Bhuvneshwar rattles Mumbai with vintage swing bowling
After winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar chose to bowl first, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar immediately justified the decision. The veteran pacer dismissed Ryan Rickelton in the second over before sending back Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in quick succession. His disciplined swing bowling left Mumbai struggling early in the innings.
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Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir then rescued Mumbai with an 82-run partnership. Naman scored 47 before Rashikh Salam broke the stand, while Tilak continued his impressive form with a fighting 57-run knock. However, failures from Will Jacks and Raj Bawa prevented Mumbai from accelerating in the death overs as they finished on 166 runs.
Bhuvneshwar was the standout performer with four wickets, while Josh Hazlewood, Rashikh Salam, and Romario Shepherd picked up one wicket each.
Krunal’s injured heroics seal dramatic RCB victory
RCB’s chase got off to the worst possible start as Deepak Chahar dismissed Virat Kohli on the very first ball. It was Virat’s second consecutive duck. Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar also failed to make an impact, while Corbin Bosch’s extra bounce and sharp bowling kept Mumbai firmly in the contest. Jacob Bethell scored 27, but the required rate kept climbing. Bosch eventually finished with four wickets and almost single-handedly turned the match in Mumbai’s favour.
However, Krunal Pandya stood tall under immense pressure. Battling an injury and struggling to run properly at one stage, Krunal played a match-winning innings of 73 off 46 balls, smashing four boundaries and five sixes.
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The final over turned into complete chaos with wides, wickets, and missed chances increasing the tension. Even after Romario Shepherd’s dismissal, the drama continued before Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck a crucial six. Needing two runs off the final ball, Rashikh Salam narrowly escaped a run-out as RCB completed a memorable two-wicket win.
