Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) needed 15 runs off the final over of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) to prevent another late-season slip. With Raj Bawa delivering the last over for MI, RCB\u2019s batting pair was Romario Shepherd and Rasikh Salam Dar. The chase ultimately stretched to the final ball, where RCB required two runs to seal the win. The match even hinged on a last-moment throwing lapse\u2014had the ball been sent to the correct end, the contest may have gone to a Super Over instead.<\/p>\n
Bawa began the decisive over in a difficult way, conceding a wide and then a no-ball. As the over progressed, the right-arm pacer\u2019s control continued to wobble, and he finished the stint giving away five extras in total\u2014four wides and a no-ball\u2014at a time when every run swung the equation.<\/p>\n
The final delivery went to Rasikh, who struck it straight back at Bawa. However, a misfield meant the ball didn\u2019t go to hand cleanly and ended up deflecting toward the mid-on region. In the scramble that followed, Bawa was stationed in the middle and appeared not to realise that the game was still salvageable\u2014there was a clear opportunity to keep the contest alive by forcing a Super Over.<\/p>\n
Because Bawa stood away from the bowler\u2019s end, the fielder had to make a throw to the wicket-keeper\u2019s end rather than the end that would have affected the batters\u2019 position. By the time the ball reached the wicket-keeper\u2019s gloves, Rasikh had already managed to complete the two runs needed for RCB to finish their chase.<\/p>\n
A video shared on social media shows that the non-striker would likely have been short of the crease if the throw had been aimed at the bowler\u2019s end. As a result, a wrong throw at one end became the defining factor, and Mumbai Indians lost the match. With the ball sent to the bowler\u2019s end, the batter could have been run out with far less difficulty.<\/p>\n
After the defeat, MI\u2019s stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about the decision to hand Bawa the final over\u2014an approach that looked like it may have cost the franchise the game. Yadav, though, refused to pin the outcome on the youngster.<\/p>\n
In the post-match presentation ceremony, Suryakumar summed it up by saying that despite the narrow margin, Bawa\u2019s execution had been close to turning the game in MI\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n
This loss officially eliminated Mumbai Indians from the playoffs race. Lucknow Super Giants were also knocked out of contention along with MI, ending both teams\u2019 chances of reaching the next stage of the tournament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) needed 15 runs off the final over of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) to prevent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: RCB vs MI Final-Ball Thriller Ends in Defeat","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"RCB\u2019s chase goes down to the final ball as MI survive IPL 2026 drama\u2014late over pressure, a throwing mix-up, and a heartbreak finish in Mumbai\u2019s favor.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n