IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians, Match 54 - Who Said What?

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat the Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a nail-biting finish at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur on May 10.

Being put into bat on a wicket with inconsistent bounce, the Mumbai Indians were dented early as Bhuvneshwar Kumar once more ran riot in the powerplay, dismissing Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.

Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma put on a partnership of 82 off 57 balls to help MI recover before Dhir fell for 47 off 32. However, Tilak carried on, scoring 57 off 42 before Bhuvneshwar Kumar's fourth victim as he finished with figures of 4 for 23 in his four overs. MI finished their innings at 166/7 in their 20 overs.

The defending champions were dented early in their innings, with Virat Kohli getting out for a duck to Deepak Chahar. Chahar then dismissed the in-form Devdutt Padikkal before Corbin Bosch dismissed skipper Rajat Patidar, leaving RCB three down in the powerplay.

Krunal Pandya and Jacob Bethell stabilised the innings with a 55-run stand off 42 balls, with Krunal as the aggressor. Bosch added two more wickets to finish with figures of 4 for 26 in his four overs. Pandya fell for 73 off 46 balls, but the defending champions got home off the final ball of the innings.

Talking Points

1. Is Suryakumar Yadav's form with the bat a concern?

Suryakumar Yadav was the Player of the Tournament in the 2025 edition of the IPL, scoring over 700 runs. But in 2026, he has looked like a shadow of his former self. He was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, taking his run-tally for the season to just 195 runs in 11 innings. His only half-century of the season came against the Delhi Capitals in MI's second match. His role in the middle order has been vital for Mumbai throughout his tenure in the team, and his form has been a major reason for their failures in 2026.

2. The second coming of Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the best bowler for the defending champions in 2025. He has looked his lethal best with the new ball, while also contributing in the death overs. The Mumbai Indians were his latest victim as he picked up three wickets with the new ball. He has 20 wickets in the 2026 edition and holds the Purple Cap. Of this number, a whopping 12 wickets have come in the powerplay.

3. Krunal Pandya's throwback rescue act against his old team

Krunal Pandya saw himself promoted to number 5 after RCB lost three powerplay wickets. He took it upon himself to stabilise the innings alongside Jacob Bethell. The southpaw took his time to get set and then went on taking the MI bowlers all over the park. He reached his half-century off 32 balls, and despite suffering from severe cramp, dealt in sixes before falling for 73 off 46 balls. He hit four fours and five maximums in a valiant effort, which was almost undone by MI with wickets in the death overs. Krunal has time and again rescued the MI in similar situations in the past, and seeing him do so yet again, against his former team, was a sight to behold.

Who said what

Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai Indians captain:

"I think Bawa had has been practising that really well, and he was a completely different all-rounder this year. Almost pulled it off for us. I think we were 10-15 runs short. We can say the wickets were at the wrong time. Naman and Tilak batted beautifully and showed character. I think these are the things you practice a lot with the fielding. The way Tilak came back and took the catch again showed that he wanted to do something special. Part of the game. I think we can just try to play this game because we love it. Though we are not used to being in this position often. Hard pill to swallow. We hope to come back well next year."

Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain:

"It's normal now. It was a very tight match, a great game. KP is the man, who has done it for the team. It was our decision, we had discussed in team meetings. We wanted to give him opportunity at number 5 and he done it pretty well. There's a lot of experience, and such players do it for the team under pressure, and it such situations. It's unbelievable, his control on the ball. It's very difficult to play Bhuvi on this kind of a wicket. Right now we are not bothered about the table, we want to play good cricket, rather than looking at the table. Our bowlers did a tremendous job to restrict them. That was easily chaseable, but to be honest we didn't deserve to win this match. We shoud have chased that target easily. We have a batting line-up capable enough."

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Player of the Match:

"I will remain that six for sure. That is what I enjoyed the most. Honestly motivation is an over-rated word for me. That fades away quickly. Discipline keeps me going. My physios help me remain in shape. There are wickets when nothing happens. At times, it does. Good thing is that I am getting enough match practice. I played SMAT, that's enough practice to keep in touch. The levels are different. We have camps during IPL, so I work accordingly and do what needs to be done. You feel happy when you do what you want to. Crucial two points for us. We did well to get those two points."