Royal Challengers Bangalore On May 10, defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling match at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur.
Invited to bat on a wicket with inconsistent bounce, Mumbai Indians were soon dealt a blow as Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again dismissed Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the powerplay.
Naman Dheer and Tilak Verma helped MI recover by putting on a partnership of 82 runs in 57 balls, before Dheer was out for 47 runs in 32 balls. However, Tilak scored 57 runs in 42 balls before Bhuvneshwar Kumar's fourth victim and took 4 wickets for 23 runs in his four overs. MI ended their innings at 166/7 in 20 overs.
The defending champions suffered a blow early in their innings when Virat Kohli was out for a duck off the bowling of Deepak Chahar. Chahar then dismissed in-form Devdutt Padikkal before Corbyn Bosch dismissed captain Rajat Patidar, leaving RCB three wickets behind in the powerplay.
Krunal Pandya and Jacob Bethel steadied the innings with a partnership of 55 runs off 42 balls, with Krunal being the aggressive one. Bosch took two more wickets, taking 4 for 26 in his four overs. Pandya was out after scoring 73 runs in 46 balls, but the defending champions were out on the last ball of the innings.
talking points
1. Is Suryakumar Yadav's form with the bat a matter of concern?
Suryakumar Yadav was the Player of the Tournament in the 2025 edition of IPL by scoring more than 700 runs. But in 2026, he has started looking like a shadow of his old self. He was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a duck on the very first ball, taking his run count in the season to just 195 runs in 11 innings. His only half-century of the season came in MI's second match against Delhi Capitals. His role in the middle order has been crucial for Mumbai throughout his tenure in the team, and his form has been a major reason for their failures in 2026.
2. Second arrival of Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the best bowler for the defending champions in 2025. He has done his best with the new ball, while also contributing in the death overs. Mumbai Indians were their latest victim as they took three wickets with the new ball. He has 20 wickets to his name in the 2026 edition and holds the Purple Cap. Of these, 12 wickets have come in the powerplay.
3. Krunal Pandya's throwback rescue act against his old team
Krunal Pandya He saw himself promoted to No. 5 after RCB lost three wickets in the powerplay. He took the lead in stabilizing the innings along with Jacob Bethel. The left-handed batsman took his time in getting settled and then took the MI bowlers all over the park. He completed his half-century off 32 balls and, despite suffering from severe cramps, hit sixes before falling for 73 off 46 balls. He hit four fours and five sixes in a valiant effort, which MI almost undone by taking wickets in the death overs. Krunal has repeatedly saved MI in similar situations in the past, and it was a treat to see him do it again against his former team.
who said what
Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai Indians captain:
“I think Bava was practicing really well, and he's a completely different all-rounder this year. It was almost a success for us. I think we were 10-15 runs short. We could say the wickets were at the wrong time. Naman and Tilak batted brilliantly and showed character. I think these are the things you practice a lot with fielding. The way Tilak came back and took the catch again showed he was something special.” Wanted to do it. I think we can try to play this game because we are not used to being in this situation. We hope to bounce back well next year.”
Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain:
“Now it is normal. It was a very tough match, a great game. KP is the person who has done this for the team. It was our decision, we discussed it in team meetings. We wanted to give him a chance at number 5 and he did it well. He has a lot of experience and such players do it for the team under pressure and in such situations. His control over the ball is unbelievable. It is very difficult to play Bhuvi on such wickets. Right now we are not worried about the table, we want to play good cricket instead of looking at the table. Our bowlers did a tremendous job to stop them. It could have been easily achieved, but to be honest, we did not deserve to win this match. We should have chased that target easily. We have a very capable batting line-up.“
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Player of the Match:
“I will definitely continue to hit that six. That's the thing I enjoy the most. Motivation is an exaggerated word for me, to be honest. It goes away quickly. Discipline keeps me going. My physio helps me stay in shape. There are wickets when nothing happens. Sometimes it happens. The good thing is that I am getting enough match practice. I played SMAT, that's enough practice to stay in touch. The level varies. We have camps accordingly and do what you want to do. It's important for us to get those two points.”
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