Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians, Match 54 Match Summary

Two down, eight teams still remain in the hunt - Right then, another week in the 2026 IPL comes to an end and we now have just a couple of more weeks of league stage action remaining. The points table is starting to get really congested in the middle, with all but two teams still vying for a top-four finish. We now head into the new week with the backdrop now switching to the scenic Himalayas as the Punjab Kings welcome the Delhi Capitals to Dharamsala for Match 55 of the season. That game will be played on Monday, May 11, and will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Cheers!

POTM - Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets the award for his fine spell of bowling - 4-0-23-4 and also that game-changing six in the final over. When asked what he will remember most from this game, Bhuvneshwar says the six he hit in the final over is something he will carry with him for a very long time. Says he enjoyed it the most. On what keeps motivating him, he adds that motivation is an overrated word for him, something that fades quickly. It is discipline, he says, that keeps him going. He credits his physios for keeping him in shape and acknowledges that there are surfaces where nothing happens for him, and surfaces where it does. He says the important thing is that he is getting enough match practice, having played the SMAT recently, and that has been enough to keep him in good touch. He admits that the levels are different in the IPL, but the camps during the tournament help him work accordingly and do what needs to be done.

The captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Rajat Patidar says his pulse is back to normal now after what turned out to be a very tight game. Calling it a great contest, the RCB skipper credits Krunal Pandya for winning the game for them, while also revealing that sending him in at No. 5 was a team decision. Patidar also heaps praise on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, calling his spell unbelievable on a two-paced surface. He says Bhuvneshwar’s control over the ball was superb and that the veteran seamer was extremely difficult to face on a pitch. Rajat says the team is not too bothered about the points table at the moment, adding that RCB’s mantra has simply been to play to their strengths and focus on playing good cricket consistently. Patidar admits that RCB did not deserve to win the match despite getting over the line, saying the side should have chased the target far more comfortably given the strength of their batting lineup.

The Presentation ceremony...

Bhuvi rips through MI's batting order - Earlier in the game, Rajat Patidar put Mumbai Indians into bat on a pitch that no one really knew much about. There was swing on offer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar made the most of it, reducing MI to 28/3 in just 3 overs. Then came the big stand between Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma as they added 82 runs for the fourth wicket and MI were back in it. However, the RCB pacers closed things out well at the death, picking up wickets at regular intervals, and that didn't allow Mumbai to cut loose when needed most as Bhuvi ended with a four-fer. In the end, MI managed to put on a middling score of 166 on the board, which was nearly enough in the end, but not quite.

RCB's stalwart with the bat has his say - Krunal Pandya says that he is delighted to contribute to the team's win. He reveals he was battling severe cramps throughout his innings, starting from his calf before spreading to his glutes and back. He laughs it off, admitting he does not usually bat that long. He says he loves tough situations and always prepares for them, and while he wanted to finish the game, he could not. He singles out Bhuvneshwar's shot as the shot of the match and reflects on the nature of the surface, saying it was a wicket where you had to apply yourself, grind it out and play proper cricketing shots rather than simply targeting bowlers. On his physical condition, he says the cramps were severe but hopes to be fine. He adds that he backed himself to handle the spinner and was batting well enough to take on. He mentions that as a batting group, they have been having conversations about trusting your instincts and taking on a bowler for all six balls if you fancy them. On his camaraderie with Kieron Pollard, he calls him his big brother and says his best six years in cricket came at MI. He gets visibly emotional, calls Pollard a terrific human being and the GOAT of the format, someone who won the trophies and games alongside the Pandya brothers as part of Mumbai's engine room.

Mumbai go down, but not without a real fight - Mumbai Indians might be out of the tournament, but it was a spirited performance with the ball tonight from them. Deepak Chahar got the ball to talk early on and picked up a couple of wickets as Jasprit Bumrah kept things tight. Corbin Bosch was the real wrecker-in-chief as he went on to pick up four wickets, most of them at vital stages of the game as well, but it just wasn't enough. AM Ghazanfar was a bit off color but did get a big wicket towards the end and unfortunately, Raj Bawa had to bear most of the brunt from the batters, including that final over, one he will feel, he nearly executed to perfection barring a couple of deliveries.

Let's now hear from the Mumbai Indians skipper - Suryakumar Yadav says Bawa has been working hard on his death bowling and has shown real improvement. He adds that the youngster has developed into a completely different all-rounder this year. Suryakumar feels MI were 10-15 runs short and believes they lost wickets at the wrong moments. Says the way Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma batted showed tremendous character, adding that the duo made the surface look like a completely different track. SKY mentions that the team will continue trying to put their best foot forward despite the difficult season. Admits MI are not used to being in such positions and says that this is a hard pill to swallow.

Bowlers win it for RCB - Things were set up brilliantly in the first innings for the reigning champions, thanks to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's four-wicket haul, but with the bat, it went all wrong in the Powerplay. This season, whenever RCB have lost 2 or more wickets in the Powerplay, they have gone on to lose, and they were 3 down for 39. This is when Krunal Pandya walked out to bat, and he steadied the ship, building a solid partnership with Jacob Bethell, but wickets started to fall again, and Pandya had to take a few more risks. He winced in pain as cramps started to take over, but he managed to conjure up 73 runs. And even that almost wasn't enough, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit an unreal six over covers, and then Rasikh Salam got bat to ball on the final ball and managed to complete the second run, taking the RCB over the line in a classic.

The Champions show their mettle - What a way to get back to winning ways and shoot to the top of the table from Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and in doing so, they have knocked out not just the Mumbai Indians but also the Lucknow Super Giants from the playoff race. In days gone by, this game would be termed as a thriller, but given the scores we see nowadays, this was certainly a low-scoring thriller, one for the ages, but sadly for MI, it ends in defeat, and their hopes of a sixth title in 2026 are done and dusted.

Salam survives and RCB get home! Full and around off. Salam pushes it back to the bowler, but Bawa gets a hand on it and the ball deflects away towards long on. Both batters are quick to spot the opportunity and scamper for two. Corbin Bosch charges in and fires it back to the keeper, who collects and breaks the stumps. Salam flings himself into a dive and drags his bat inside the crease. The third umpire is called in to check for the run out. Salam had flung himself into a dive, and while the bat popped out of his hand on landing, it was in contact with the willow when he made his ground. The third umpire confirms it. What a dramatic end to an absolute nail-biter in Raipur. A low-scoring thriller, living worth the billing. RCB WIN BY 2 WICKETS. And with that, the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are officially knocked out of the playoff race.

Is that a run out? The RCB players don't think so, and they are swarming the field. The third umpire has a look and confirms that Rasikh Salam has put in a match-winning dive. The bat popped out of his hand, but it was in contact with the willow when he made his ground, and it will be NOT OUT.

Slower one, across the right-hander, on a good length. Bhuvneshwar Kumar miscues it down to long off for a single. RCB need 2 runs from the last delivery!

SIX! JUST OVER! My word, he has cleared the ropes. A magnificent strike from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Fuller and wide outside off. Bhuvi gets forward and opens the face, slicing it over sweeper cover with an inside out lofted shot. The fielder leaps but the ball sails over him for six runs.

WIDE! Dear me! Slower bumper, but way, way too high over the batter's head. Bhuvneshwar Kumar lets it fly back to the keeper. Wide called. RCB need 9 runs from 3 balls.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar walks out to bat now.

OUT! TAKEN EASILY​​! Raj Bawa has picked up the most important wicket for his side. Fuller this time and wide outside off. Shepherd is well outside his crease and looks to slice it through the off side, but gets nowhere near the middle of it. The ball flies off the toe end and is sliced straight to Varma at backward point, who leaps and takes it comfortably. RCB lose their 8th wicket.

Well bowled! Stays around the stump and bowls a wide yorker, outside off. Romario Shepherd swings hard, but is beaten by a whisker on the outside edge. Romario Shepherd and Rasikh Salam converge for a chat to review for a wide, but they decide not to. A crucial, crucial dot ball from Bawa.

Two Wides! The pressure is showing on Raj Bawa. Tries to keep it away from the hitting arc of the batter, but bowls it too wide, outside the tramline. Rasikh Salam swings and misses and the ball rolls back to the keeper. Ryan Rickelton releases an underarm throw to the batting end, but misses his shy and the batters complete the bye. 10 needed off 5 balls now.

Oh, goodness! This just doesn't rise from a short length, outside off. Romario Shepherd swings with all his might to pull into the stands, but the ball stays underground and squirts off the toe end to deep mid-wicket for a single. 12 needed off 5 balls.

A change of bat for Romario Shepherd as he's chipped the toe end.

Good execution this time! A wide yorker, outside off, Romario Shepherd fails to get under the ball and drills it back to the bowler off the toe end. Oh, dear! The buzzer of doom goes off in Raipur for MI. Raj has overstepped and it is a No Ball. A Free Hit coming up...

What a time to bowl a No Ball!

WIDE! Bowls from around the stump, Raj pushes it wide across the batter, on a fuller length. Romario Shepherd stays put and throws everything left in the tank, but misses to connect. The ball breaches the tramline and it is called a wide.

Who will bowl the final over? MI have options in terms of spin and also a seamer in the face of Raj Bawa. It will be Raj Bawa to bowl the final over and try and defend 14 runs.

Pinpoint yorker around leg. Shepherd cannot get his bat to it again, and the ball clips the toe of his left boot and trickles down towards cover-point. A leg bye is taken, and Romario retains the strike.

This is world-class death bowling by Bumrah. Nails in another searing yorker around leg. Shepherd tries to jam it out but misses completely, and the ball clips his front pad and squirts away to the left of the keeper. Both batters fancy a bye and set off, but the keeper does well to collect it on the move and fires at the stumps, but misses.

MI lose both their reviews! Bumrah spears it into the batter, on a fuller length, angling from middle to leg. Romario Shepherd gets a touch across in the crease and tries to work it across the line, but plays all over it and is hit on the front pad. A massive, confident appeal for LBW, but the umpire shakes his head. Bumrah is pumped up and wants it to be reviewed. SKY walks up to him to have a chat. Rickelton is a bit reluctant, but Suryakumar trusts his bowler and takes the review. UltraEdge shows no bat involved, and Ball Tracking shows that the ball is projected to miss the leg stump. So, the on-field decision is upheld.

Well bowled! Slower bumper from Bumrah, angled into the batter. Romario Shepherd ducks under it. The ball bounces in front of Ryan Rickelton, who does well to gather it. 16 needed off 9.

Length ball, around off, Rasikh runs it behind to deep third for a single only.