RCB Edge MI in Last-Ball Thriller to Reclaim Top Spot in IPL 2026

Raipur: Defending Champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) reclaimed the top spot in the points table of Indian Premier League 2026 as they beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by 2 wickets in the thriller here at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday night.

With this win RCB reached the top position with 14 points from 11 matches while MI remained at 9th spot.

Chasing 167 runs to win, RCB required 15 runs from the final over which was bowled by Raj Bawa. He claimed Romario Shepherd in the third ball, but new batter Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit a huge six in the very next ball. Rasikh Salam scored required two runs in the final ball to register the close victory.

RCB lost Virat Kohli for no score while Jacon Bethell added 27 runs. Krunal Pandya struck 73 runs from 46 balls in the middle overs. Corbin Bosch took 4 wickets for 26 runs.

Earlier, a vintage new-ball spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and a composed half-century by Tilak Varma defined contrasting phases of the Mumbai Indians’ innings as they posted 166/7.

Mumbai briefly counterattacked through Rohit Sharma, who took on Josh Hazlewood with two sixes and a boundary in an 18-run second over. Rohit looked intent on disrupting RCB’s lengths, but Bhuvneshwar responded with experience and variation.

A clever knuckleball induced a thick edge from Rohit for 22, before Suryakumar Yadav’s much-anticipated return lasted just one ball as he edged to Virat Kohli at first slip. From 22/1, MI suddenly slipped to 28/3, with Bhuvneshwar narrowly missing out on a hat-trick.

Bhuvneshwar finished with outstanding figures of 4-23, becoming only the second bowler after Harshal Patel to register six three-wicket hauls in a single IPL season. RCB also closed the innings strongly through Hazlewood and Rasikh, restricting Mumbai to just 31 runs in the final five overs. Agencies

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