Krunal Pandya Grit Secures Last Ball Victory For Bengaluru.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed to the summit of the IPL 2026 points table after securing a heart-stopping two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on the final delivery in Raipur. Krunal Pandya emerged as the central figure, battling debilitating body cramps to smash 73 off 46 balls, effectively ending the playoff aspirations of his former franchise. Despite a ferocious four-wicket burst from Corbin Bosch, the Bengaluru side held their nerve to chase down 167 in front of a packed Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar set the tone early in the evening with a clinical display of swing bowling. He dismantled the Mumbai top order, removing Rohit Sharma and stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav in a single over to finish with figures of 4 for 23. Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir attempted to stabilize the innings with a gritty 82-run partnership, pushing Mumbai to a competitive 166 for 7. However, the total proved insufficient against a determined Bengaluru unit.

Raipur’s venue, which historically favors disciplined bowling over reckless power-hitting, lived up to its reputation as batters found it difficult to accelerate against the older ball.

Bengaluru’s chase started poorly when Virat Kohli fell for a golden duck. Corbin Bosch capitalised on this opening, delivering a remarkable wicket-maiden and claiming four scalps to keep Mumbai in the hunt. With 15 runs required off the final over, the pressure shifted back and forth. Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided the match-turning moment by dispatching a crucial six, leaving Rasikh Salam Dar to scamper for the winning runs on the very last ball. ​​​​​​​

Inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI