After exactly ten years, Raipur finally hosted an IPL night, and it delivered a match that swung like a pendulum. Mumbai Indians looked set to finish the job after Jasprit Bumrah’s decisive late burst in the 19th over left Royal Challengers Bengaluru needing 15 runs for victory. For most of the final six balls, a Mumbai win appeared inevitable—until Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck an unexpected six that flipped the mood and sparked fury in the MI dugout.
Quick facts
- Venue: Raipur, after a decade-long gap from IPL games
- Target: Bengaluru chased 166
- Key turning point: Bumrah’s 19th over left RCB needing 15 from the final six balls
- Final-over twist: Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s improbable six off Bawa
- Outcome impact: Mumbai were knocked out of playoff contention early for the third time in six seasons
Mumbai’s plan had been to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, and the match began to fall their way. But Bengaluru’s chase opened under pressure from the first ball of the innings, with Virat Kohli departing without scoring. It was his second consecutive duck of the season, setting a shaky tone for the chase.
Corbin Bosch then made an immediate dent, taking two wickets in quick succession. Krunal Pandya followed with a counter-attacking spell that helped Bengaluru breathe again, and a valuable stand with Jacob Bethell pulled the innings back into contention.
Once Krunal had company, the momentum shifted again—but not smoothly. After another collapse, Krunal had to fight on through cramps, struggling just to stay upright at the crease. Running between wickets became difficult, yet he still found ways to keep the equation alive, smashing two sixes in the 18th over to bring the target down to 18 required off 13 balls.
That surge didn’t last. On the next attempt at a maximum, Krunal holed out to long-on, removing the most reliable finisher Bengaluru had left. With his wicket, the chase entered its final phase with Mumbai sensing control.
Bumrah then added even more pressure with an over that was as sharp as it was punishing. He kept Romario Shepherd under wraps using a series of well-directed yorkers, conceding only three runs in the over. That set Bengaluru a clear task: 15 runs to defend against in the last six balls.
The unlikely Bhuvi six
There was another dramatic subplot in the final over. Raj Angad Bawa, retained by Mumbai for INR 30 lakh, had not bowled at all in the season before this match. Despite that, stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav handed him the final over, trusting the work Bawa had done on death-bowling in the nets since joining the MI camp last year.
Bawa started with immediate signs that the plan could work. He bowled a wide and then overstepped with a no-ball, but he quickly corrected his length. On the free hit, Shepherd managed only a single, and after another wide, Rasikh Salam Dar was able to steal just one run, ensuring Shepherd remained on strike.
From there, Bawa executed with precision—delivering a dot ball from round the wicket that moved across the batter. The breakthrough came next when he dismissed Shepherd with a yorker outside off. Shepherd swung hard, only to edge straight to backward point, and Mumbai believed they had removed Bengaluru’s last real batting hope.
Even after conceding another extra, Bawa stuck to the same outside-off strategy, aiming wide yorkers again and again. Then Bhuvneshwar Kumar—known as a useful lower-order bat, with three Test half-centuries to his name—completely changed the script by lofting the delivery over deep cover for a stunning six. The shot visibly unsettled Mahela Jayawardene, who reacted angrily from the dugout, clearly unhappy with the outside-off line. He signalled for the bowler to go straighter immediately.
Bhuvneshwar then took a single on the next ball, and tension tightened across both camps with the looming possibility of a Super Over. Bengaluru still needed two runs off the final delivery. Suryakumar was seen in an intense discussion with Bawa before the last ball was sent down.
Rasikh, a former Mumbai player, looked ready to force a tie. He drove the fuller ball back toward the bowler and sprinted for a run, trying to set up a Super Over scenario. Bawa only needed to gather cleanly and attempt a run-out at the non-striker’s end—but the ball slipped from his grasp. That mistake gave the two Bengaluru batters enough time to complete a second run, sealing the chase.
Kohli and Krunal led the celebrations for Bengaluru as the MI unit was left shell-shocked. It wasn’t just another loss—it marked the third time in six seasons that Mumbai Indians suffered an early elimination from the playoff race.
