Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians staged a roller-coaster IPL 2026 encounter in Raipur, with the result hanging on the very last delivery. Chasing a demanding finish, RCB looked stretched as the equation tightened in the final stretch, while MI sensed a chance to snuff out the contest.
At a glance
- Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2026 (Raipur)
- RCB’s chase: 30 runs required from the last three overs
- Critical 18th over: Bowled by AM Ghazanfar
- Controversy in the 18th: A relay attempt at long-on sparked uncertainty over whether it was a six
- Outcome of the 18th: Krunal’s knock ended at 73 off 46 (4 fours, 5 sixes); RCB required 18 from 12 balls
- 19th over: Jasprit Bumrah conceded just 3 runs
- Final outcome: RCB won on the last ball of the match
Krunal Pandya was the only batter showing real resistance at the crease when RCB needed 30 runs off the final three overs. The pressure then shifted to AM Ghazanfar, entrusted with bowling the pivotal 18th over as the innings neared its dramatic climax.
The 18th over: chaos, then a turning point
The over started with a dot ball, raising the tension further. On the second delivery, Krunal lofted the ball towards wide long-on, where Naman Dhir caught it near the ropes and tried to keep the ball in play by parrying it towards Tilak Varma.
What followed was a muddle in the field. Tilak’s relay back didn’t go cleanly because of miscommunication between the two fielders, leaving MI players unsure whether the ball had cleared the boundary. For a brief moment, even the protagonists on the ground appeared divided on the call.
Tilak felt the ball had crossed the rope during the attempt, while Naman believed he had remained inside the boundary line. Ultimately, the third umpire stepped in and ruled it was not a six, and because Krunal hadn’t attempted a run, the sequence ended as a dot ball—an awkward near-miss that still swung momentum back to RCB’s side.
That missed chance mattered. Krunal struck immediately afterward, launching two huge sixes later in the same over to jerk the chase back into Bengaluru’s control. The Mumbai camp went quiet as the required rate suddenly looked far less comfortable for the defending side.
Just as it seemed Krunal might engineer a sensational finish, Ghazanfar provided the breakthrough on the last ball of the 18th over. Krunal tried to go big again towards long-on, but Tilak Varma produced an unforgettable effort near the boundary.
Tilak sprinted to his left, took the catch, and then managed to loft the ball back into play just before crossing the boundary. He completed the take after re-entering the field—juggling the ball twice in a burst of athletic improvisation. With that, Krunal’s fighting innings ended at 73 off 46 balls, featuring four fours and five maximums.
The wicket tightened the chase sharply: RCB now needed 18 runs from the final 12 balls. The drama, however, refused to settle.
Bumrah’s pressure—then the final-ball finish
Jasprit Bumrah then delivered a signature pressure over in the 19th, conceding only three runs. With the ball gripping the situation, it appeared that Mumbai had pushed themselves close to a winning position, leaving RCB needing 15 from the last over.
But MI couldn’t seal the deal. In the final over, Raj Bawa couldn’t defend the target, and RCB ultimately pulled off a thrilling triumph with the winning hit arriving on the very last ball of the contest.
