In a heart-stopping finish that will be remembered for years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off a last-ball miracle to knock Mumbai Indians out of IPL 2026. The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium witnessed pure drama as RCB chased down 167 with just two wickets in hand, thanks to a heroic 73 from Krunal Pandya and a stunning six off the final delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The match had everything a cricket fan could ask for—early chaos, a mid-innings fightback, and a finish that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Mumbai Indians, after being put in to bat, looked in serious trouble at the start. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was simply unplayable, ripping through the top order with figures of 4/23. He sent back Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav in quick succession, leaving MI reeling. But Tilak Varma (57) and Naman Dhir (47) staged a brilliant recovery, steering their team to a competitive 166/7.
When RCB came out to chase, the script seemed to be heading in a different direction. The powerplay was a disaster for the home side—Virat Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck in the very first over by Deepak Chahar, Devdutt Padikkal followed soon after, and skipper Rajat Patidar fell to Corbin Bosch. At 47/3, RCB were in deep trouble. Jasprit Bumrah was bowling with his usual precision, the pitch was offering uneven bounce, and every run felt like a battle.
That's when Krunal Pandya stepped up. He didn't just steady the ship—he took the fight to the opposition. Using clever angles, sweeping aggressively against spinners Will Jacks and AM Ghazanfar, and smashing towering sixes straight down the ground, Krunal turned the game on its head. His massive six over wide long-on off Ghazanfar was the shot that signaled RCB's intent. Even as wickets fell at the other end, Krunal kept going, battling through cramps and refusing to give up.
The final over was pure theater. RCB needed 12 runs from the last six balls, and when it came down to the last delivery, they needed six. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had already done the damage with the ball earlier, stepped up and smashed the final ball over the rope, sending the RCB dugout into raptures and ending Mumbai Indians' campaign in the most dramatic fashion possible.
It was a night of heroes for RCB—Krunal's resilience, Bhuvneshwar's all-round brilliance, and a team that refused to quit even when the odds were stacked against them. For Mumbai Indians, it was a heartbreaking end to their season, but for cricket fans, it was yet another reminder of why the IPL remains the most thrilling league in the world.