Raipur, 11 May (H.S.): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched a heart-stopping two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in an IPL 2026 thriller, chasing down 167 on the final delivery to bolster their playoff prospects while eliminating MI from contention.

MI's innings crumbled dramatically, losing three early wickets within the first three overs to veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who dismissed Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav among others, leaving the batting lineup reeling under pressure. Rohit managed a brisk 22 off 10 balls before departing.

Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma then steadied the ship with a crucial 82-run partnership, propelling MI past 100. Tilak notched a superb half-century, though Naman fell short of his own; however, Bhuvneshwar's fourth strike in the 18th over halted their momentum. MI limped to 166/7, with Bhuvneshwar's four-wicket haul decisively tilting the scales.

RCB's pursuit began shakily, with Virat Kohli dismissed for a duck in his second successive failure, courtesy of Deepak Chahar's early breakthroughs that plunged the team into peril. Krunal Pandya and Jacob Bethell mounted a recovery, but after Bethell's exit, Krunal anchored the innings, smashing a rapid half-century off just 32 balls.

Needing 15 off the final over amid relentless swings in fortunes, RCB held firm even after Romario Shepherd's dismissal. Bhuvneshwar smashed a six under pressure, and Rassie van der Dussen sealed the memorable win with two runs off the last ball.

Krunal Pandya's match-winning 73 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's lethal bowling were the cornerstones of this stunning comeback, propelling RCB to the top of the points table after back-to-back defeats.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar