RCB edge Mumbai in last ball thriller

By Razeen Gutta

Royal Challengers Bengaluru kept their playoff push alive with a dramatic two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday, chasing down 167 off the last ball at the Nava Raipur International Cricket Stadium.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Dar held their nerve in a chaotic final over that stretched to 10 balls, adding 10 runs from three deliveries to seal victory.

The result takes RCB to the top of the table on 14 points, level with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans.

Mumbai and Lucknow Super Giants were both eliminated after Lucknow’s earlier loss to Chennai left them stranded on six points from 11 games.

Bhuvneshwar set up the win with both bat and ball. His 4-23 restricted Mumbai to 166-7 after a fiery powerplay in which he removed Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma and stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav.

He returned to bowl Tilak Varma for 57 and then smashed a six off rookie Raj Bawa in the 20th over with bat in hand.

Krunal Pandya’s 73 off 46 balls anchored RCB’s chase, while Dar’s crucial two off the final ball got them home. For Mumbai, Corbin Bosch’s 4-26 and an 82-run stand between Varma and Naman Dhir, 47 off 32, were not enough.

The win keeps RCB firmly in contention as the league heads into its final stretch.

Pictured above: Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Source: @royalchallengers.bengaluru