Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by two wickets in a last-ball thriller, officially eliminating MI from the IPL 2026 playoff race. The match was held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, serving as RCB's second home venue for the season. MI posted 166/7 in their 20 overs. Tilak Varma anchored the innings with a fighting 57 off 42 balls, while Naman Dhir contributed a handy 47. RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismantled the top order, finishing with exceptional figures of 4/23. RCB endured a shaky start during the powerplay, slipping to 39/3. Star opener Virat Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck, his second consecutive duck of the season.

Krunal Pandya spearheaded the recovery, smashing a counter-attacking 73 off 46 balls. Corbin Bosch spearheaded the defense for MI, returning figures of 4/26 to trigger a late-order collapse. Needing 15 runs off the final over bowled by Raj Bawa, Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck a crucial six. With two runs required off the final delivery, Rasikh Salam Dar drilled the ball back down the pitch and completed a frantic double with a diving effort to seal the win. This win breaks RCB’s two-match losing streak and elevates them to the top of the leaderboard based on net run rate. Conversely, Mumbai Indians anchor the bottom tier alongside Lucknow Super Giants, mathematically ending their contention for the remaining playoff slots.

Mumbai Indians playoffs hopes come to end post match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru

 

Sent into bat, MI's top order collapsed against a masterclass of swing bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/23). He removed Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma (22), and Suryakumar Yadav (0) to leave MI reeling at 28/3. Tilak Varma (57 off 42) and Naman Dhir (47 off 32) rebuilt the innings with a gritty 70-run partnership. Rasikh Salam Dar eventually bowled Dhir, and a disciplined death-overs spell restricted MI to 166/7.

This last-ball defeat officially eliminated Mumbai Indians from the IPL 2026 playoff race due to the mathematical points ceiling. This was MI's 8th loss in 11 games, leaving them stranded on 6 points. With only 3 games left, they can reach a maximum of 12 points. Three teams (RCB, SRH, and GT) have already crossed the line to hit 14 points. Since other top teams still have to play each other, it is mathematically impossible for a team capped at 12 points to break into the top four slots. MI is officially knocked out alongside Lucknow Super Giants.