In their first "home game," Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will meet Mumbai Indians (MI) in Raipur. After a ten-year absence, the IPL is returning to Raipur, and RCB will hope to open the season with a victory in their second home after losing to LSG in their previous match.
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| With 46 balls, Krunal Pandya scored 73 |
They are facing a team that has lost all three of its previous games and a team that is in terrible shape. Although MI won their most recent game, they haven't been able to gain any momentum this season.
The match between RCB and MI is always exciting, and maybe today will be no exception.
Jitesh's dilemma for RCB
The average of Jitesh Sharma's eight IPL 2026 games
Jitesh Sharma has had a difficult season, but RCB is glad to be patient with him. "The message to Jitesh is that he understands how he can support the squad in any circumstance. Before RCB's loss to LSG, assistant coach Malolan Rangarajan had stated, "That's all he's been focusing on, and we've been trying to provide for him in training sessions, understanding the situations he's likely to go in and how he can impact the game for us."
See Shashank Kishore's article about the RCB's continued faith in Jitesh.
The struggle with the new ball
Josh Hazlewood vs. Rohit Sharma's strike rate of 115.62
In seven Twenty20 innings against Josh Hazlewood, Rohit Sharma has only been removed once. However, he has struggled to go hard against the speedy Australian.
Once more, hello, Raipur
When Raipur was the second home of the Delhi Daredevils (do you remember their name?) in 2016, that was the final IPL match played there. A certain Virat Kohli led RCB to victory with a half-century in a low-scoring match.
Can RaPa ignite a Raipur RCB wave?
Chhattisgarh, a state that was split off from Madhya Pradesh at the turn of the century, has Raipur as its capital. With three MP players on their roster, including captain Rajat Patidar, RCB hopes to take advantage of these regional ties. Shashank Kishore's piece about RCB's arrival to their second home of the season covers all of that and much more.
No Hardik again, RCB bowl
Royal Challengers Bengaluru choose to bowl against the Mumbai Indians.
The captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rajat Patidar, decided to bowl in the team's opening match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Raipur, their second home of the season. The game will take place on a black-soil field with surface fissures, which Patidar described as "good" and "pretty hard."
With Tim David in the starting lineup and Devdutt Padikkal on the Impact Player bench, RCB's squad from their Thursday loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) remained unaltered.
MI remained unchanged as well, with Suryakumar Yadav leading them in Hardik Pandya's ongoing absence after he missed their most recent match against LSG due to back spasms. Legspinner Raghu Sharma starts on the bench as MI bats first here, with Rohit Sharma starting in the starting lineup.
A loss would eliminate MI, who are currently in ninth position, from the playoffs. After losing their previous two games, RCB is currently in fourth place and a victory would propel them to the top of the standings.
Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Naman Dhir, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Will Jacks, 7 Raj Bawa, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 AM Ghazanfar, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.
Impact bench: Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Jacob Bethell, 3 Rajat Patidar (capt), 4 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 5 Tim David, 6 Romario Shepherd, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Suyash Sharma, 11 Rasikh Salam.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Jacob Bethell, 3 Rajat Patidar (capt), 4 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 5 Tim David, 6 Romario Shepherd, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Suyash Sharma, 11 Rasikh Salam.
Impact bench: Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Swapnil Singh, Venkatesh Iyer.
Bhuvi scores in the opening over
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's first over was excellent. As usual, the lengths were flawless, and there was some deft movement—I believe some of it off the deck—especially into the left-handed Ryan Rickelton. The first ball had a leading edge that nearly reached mid-off. Then he hits the final ball of the over. The ball hits the high portion of the bat and loops to mid-off after Rickelton bangs in on a length and causes it to bounce a bit more than he anticipated. He was attempting to use a straight bat to hit it over that fielder, but he was unprepared for the bounce.
Up and going, Rohit
0 4 2lb 0 6 6
In his previous two appearances, Josh Hazlewood has been costly, and this one begins with an 18-run over. He is pursued by Rohit Sharma, who hits the ball to telling effect, even though he doesn't always hit it where or how he desires. There is a top-edged six over third, a characteristic pulled six, and a four over mid-off, but not quite off the middle.
Bhuvi scores in the opening over
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's first over was excellent. As usual, the lengths were flawless, and there was some deft movement—I believe some of it off the deck—especially into the left-handed Ryan Rickelton. The first ball had a leading edge that nearly reached mid-off. Then he hits the final ball of the over. The ball hits the high portion of the bat and loops to mid-off after Rickelton bangs in on a length and causes it to bounce a bit more than he anticipated. He was attempting to use a straight bat to hit it over that fielder, but he was unprepared for the bounce.
Up and going, Rohit
0 4 2lb 0 6 6
In his previous two appearances, Josh Hazlewood has been costly, and this one begins with an 18-run over. He is pursued by Rohit Sharma, who hits the ball to telling effect, even though he doesn't always hit it where or how he desires. There is a top-edged six over third, a characteristic pulled six, and a four over mid-off, but not quite off the middle.
Bhuvi hits once more
This is really a novel spell. Although he doesn't get this traditional swing-bowler wicket as frequently as you might expect, this is textbook material. Pitching the outswinger this full is rare. On a second look, it's an amazing delivery since it's a knuckleball with the seam almost perfectly canted for outswing rather than just the typical outswinger. Rohit reaches for the ball and edges it low to the keeper after attempting to drive through the covers. A beautiful bowling moment.
In 2.5 overs, MI is 28 for 2.
Bhuvneshwar is everywhere in Michigan
What a ball to obtain for the first time. When a ball is pitched on the fuller side of a length, Suryakumar Yadav presses forward, seeks a cautious little push to mid-off, and ends up edging it because it has left him very, very late. Virat Kohli made a fantastic grab at slip. He swoops forward and takes it two-handed, inches off the ground, making it appear much easier than it is. The low ones are the hardest to catch.
After two overs, Bhuvi is currently 3 for 10. He will start his next over with a hat-trick.
Sticking hard lengths
It's difficult to bat on this pitch. When the ball is struck into a hard length, it grips and bounces, coming higher and later than the hitter anticipates. In the sixth over, a ball like this from Rasikh Salam gave Tilak Varma a leading edge, but Suyash Sharma dismissed the opportunity at midwicket. In the seventh over, Romario Shepherd now hits the ball, causing Tilak to clumsily fend and nearly deliver a return catch.
In seven overs, MI is 57 for 3.
Tilak and Dhir accelerate
MI were 65 for 3 after eight overs. They are now starting to locate the boundary a bit more often. MI is 102 for 3 in 12 overs as Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma combined for three sixes in the final four overs.
Rasikh receives Dhir
This pitch has uneven bounce, and Rasikh Salam's cross-seam, back-of-a-length ball scoots through low, completely defeating Dhir's attempt to pull, and bowls him for 47 off 32 balls. He had just smashed Rasikh away for two clean, back-foot fours through the off side, so RCB would be extremely happy with the timing of that wicket.
In 12.3 overs, MI is 110 for 4.
Jack's gets Shepherd
The length ball at the stumps strikes the inside half of Jack's bat as he tries to whip it away, kind of nipping at him while staying a little low. MI is 132 for 5 in 15.2 overs after being caught at deep midwicket. Bawa and Bosch have a good amount of batting ahead of them.
For Tilak, fifty
In the 17th over, he gets there with a beautiful back-foot stab to the point boundary off Rasikh. Tilak scored a half-century off thirty-seven balls, which is acceptable on this surface. He is aware that this is not a 200 pitch. However, if he makes it through the final three overs, he has the shots against pace to lead MI to a truly competitive total. In 17, MI is 149 for 5.
No. 4 for Bhuvi
It's the big one, too. Tilak looked to step across and scoop it in that direction, but the fine leg was up. He plays this stroke well, but this time he doesn't quite get it right. It's a low full-toss that is angled away from his stumps, and he ends up inside-edging it into them.
MI is 155 for 6 in 18 overs, and he is out for 57 off 42. Bhuvi had an outstanding performance, finishing with 4 for 23.
166 out of 7
The final two overs of MI's innings are those. They had a terrible time hitting their shots against Hazlewood and Rasikh on this two-paced surface without Tilak. Watching MI's bowlers would have been strangely comforting since, if they go into the pitch and bowl a lot of cross-seam, cutters, and variations, they too might make things difficult for RCB. However, RCB has a clear edge because they have a target in front of them, and it's only a mediocre one.
First ball, Kohli falls
Alright, okay. Virat Kohli made consecutive ducks. In his most recent game, Prince Yadav gave him a cracker, but this time it was an aggressive shot gone wrong. Deepak Chahar hits a full, wide outswinger. Kohli wants to knock it straight off mid-off, but he lacks the necessary power. The bat face closes, the ball hits the inside half, and he ends up hitting it at a catchable height.
In 0.4 overs, RCB is 10 for 1. Chahar made a fantastic comeback after giving up consecutive fours to Jacob Bethell at the beginning of the over.
Devdutt Padikkal tucks a ball down the leg side for four as Chahar closes the over. Chahar's economy rate in overs 1 and 2 this season is 14.00, hence 14 off the over is appropriate. During any IPL season, no bowler has been more costly in overs 1 and 2 (at least five overs in that phase).
Chahar strikes once more
This is such a nostalgic game. Bhuvi and Chahar are getting trapped in the top orders by swinging the new ball big. A good ball is a good ball, but Chahar has been far more erratic than Bhuvi today (and throughout the season). This ball is not only excellent but also exquisite. It is long, angles into off stump from around the wicket, straightens extremely late, squares Padikkal up in defence, and finds the keeper's edge.
In three overs, RCB is 24 for 2.
Three down
Joining the fun, Corbin Bosch bowls the ideal ball for this pitch. Hard length, into the pitch, into the body, and it reaches Rajat Patidar faster than anticipated, absolutely cramping him on the pull. RCB is 39 for 3 in 5.1 overs after only managing a top edge that loops up to the keeper.
Krunal Pandya has been elevated to No. 5 by RCB.
Krunal keeps RCB in the game
Jacob Bethell is having trouble at one end. Since hitting fours off the first two balls of the RCB innings, he has not hit any boundaries and is currently batting on 26 off 26.
Krunal Pandya, on the other hand, is playing what might be an important innings for RCB. He's found the boundary just frequently enough to keep RCB in this chase, but timing the ball on this pitch is still challenging. In addition to hitting three fours, he just hit AM Ghazanfar over wide long-on for the second six of his innings. RCB needs 73 off 48 balls, and he is currently batting at 41 off 26.
Bosch acquires Bethell
That might have been one of this innings' finer-timed moments. He flicks the whole ball, which is angled into him from around the wicket, to the guy at deep midwicket with ease and accuracy. If he had tried a little harder, he might have hit it for six.
In 12.1 overs, RCB is 94 for 4. This season, Jitesh Sharma, who is averaging 8.00, enters.
Bawa is given a second over
Suryakumar Yadav attempted Raj Bawa on this pitch because of its two-pacedness and up-and-down bounce, even though he is at best military-medium. He performed admirably in his opening over, which yielded eight runs. However, in the fourteenth over, when RCB desperately needs to move on, SKY takes a chance on a second over for Bawa. RCB now needs 57 off 36, and it goes for 16.
Additionally, Raghu Sharma, a legspinner, is yet to bowl an over.
For Krunal, fifty
Amazing innings. He gets there in 32 balls, and ever since he entered, he has just exuded confidence and decisiveness.
RCB now needs 49 off 30 after getting eight off Bumrah's third over.
Bosch acquires David and Jitesh
But not before he makes a significant, brief appearance. 18 off 12 with some incredible strokes, such as a step-across hook for six over fine leg from Bosch earlier in the over and a back-foot punch for four off Bumrah.
RCB requires 36 out of 25.
With their most dangerous hitter out on the first ball, make that 36 in 24. Bosch's short ball is quite pullable in normal conditions, but this isn't a typical pitch. David's shot ends too soon because the ball stops on him. Bosch has put MI in the lead after clipping the toe-end en route to the keeper!
Everything is taking place
In an outstanding 17th over, Deepak Chahar bowls several slower bouncers while giving up just six runs. And during that over, Krunal starts to experience cramps.
Ghazanfar is brought on by MI to bowl the 18th, and he begins with a dot. Then, when 30 runs are needed from 17, Krunal attempts a massive smash but misses it. Naman Dhir, who is rushing to his right from deep midwicket, catches it and flicks it to Tilak Varma, who is approaching the ball from long-on. This is not anticipated by Tilak, and the ball falls safely. The fact that Dhir didn't walk on the rope is the only positive thing for MI.
Then, as his cramps worsen, Krunal smacks two sixes off the next three balls, both of which cause him to tumble to the ground in pain.
This reduces RCB's target to 18 off 13, and Krunal comes very close to making it 12 off 12 with another huge shot. However, Tilak makes a fantastic decision this time, sprinting to his left from long-on. When his feet step outside the rope, he does a flawless juggle to ensure he isn't holding onto the ball.
Bumrah starts the 19th over with RCB needing 18 from 12 as Krunal collapses for a remarkable 46-ball 73.
Bumrah acts in a Bumrah manner
RCB required 18 out of 12. They now require 15 out of 6. Romario Shepherd will be on strike when Raj Bawa bowls the twentieth. This has been quite the game.
MI and LSG are eliminated as RCB wins a thrilling match
What a game. What a last over. Kumar Bhuvneshwar. Has he previously hit a six? Throughout his life? And what a final ball full of mistakes. Before I say anything further, let me collect my thoughts.
In one way or another, it seemed like poetic justice that Bhuvneshwar Kumar would prevail in this match. And he accomplished it with the most spectacular (and unusual) shots he has ever made. He's a beautiful, technically sound, obstinate lower-order hitter, but a six-hitter? This was his first six since 2016 and only his fourth in his IPL career.
What a shot, too. Drive over the covers in a clean, crisp manner. Bhuvi absolutely could not lose today. For the innings he played, Krunal Pandya was also unable to. Thus, everything came together to cause Raj Bawa to misfield the last ball. Sometimes the only explanation is a lot of soap opera crap, but that's just the way things are.
This implies that both LSG and MI are eliminated from postseason contention.
This is really a novel spell. Although he doesn't get this traditional swing-bowler wicket as frequently as you might expect, this is textbook material. Pitching the outswinger this full is rare. On a second look, it's an amazing delivery since it's a knuckleball with the seam almost perfectly canted for outswing rather than just the typical outswinger. Rohit reaches for the ball and edges it low to the keeper after attempting to drive through the covers. A beautiful bowling moment.
In 2.5 overs, MI is 28 for 2.
Bhuvneshwar is everywhere in Michigan
What a ball to obtain for the first time. When a ball is pitched on the fuller side of a length, Suryakumar Yadav presses forward, seeks a cautious little push to mid-off, and ends up edging it because it has left him very, very late. Virat Kohli made a fantastic grab at slip. He swoops forward and takes it two-handed, inches off the ground, making it appear much easier than it is. The low ones are the hardest to catch.
After two overs, Bhuvi is currently 3 for 10. He will start his next over with a hat-trick.
Sticking hard lengths
It's difficult to bat on this pitch. When the ball is struck into a hard length, it grips and bounces, coming higher and later than the hitter anticipates. In the sixth over, a ball like this from Rasikh Salam gave Tilak Varma a leading edge, but Suyash Sharma dismissed the opportunity at midwicket. In the seventh over, Romario Shepherd now hits the ball, causing Tilak to clumsily fend and nearly deliver a return catch.
In seven overs, MI is 57 for 3.
Tilak and Dhir accelerate
MI were 65 for 3 after eight overs. They are now starting to locate the boundary a bit more often. MI is 102 for 3 in 12 overs as Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma combined for three sixes in the final four overs.
Rasikh receives Dhir
This pitch has uneven bounce, and Rasikh Salam's cross-seam, back-of-a-length ball scoots through low, completely defeating Dhir's attempt to pull, and bowls him for 47 off 32 balls. He had just smashed Rasikh away for two clean, back-foot fours through the off side, so RCB would be extremely happy with the timing of that wicket.
In 12.3 overs, MI is 110 for 4.
Jack's gets Shepherd
The length ball at the stumps strikes the inside half of Jack's bat as he tries to whip it away, kind of nipping at him while staying a little low. MI is 132 for 5 in 15.2 overs after being caught at deep midwicket. Bawa and Bosch have a good amount of batting ahead of them.
For Tilak, fifty
In the 17th over, he gets there with a beautiful back-foot stab to the point boundary off Rasikh. Tilak scored a half-century off thirty-seven balls, which is acceptable on this surface. He is aware that this is not a 200 pitch. However, if he makes it through the final three overs, he has the shots against pace to lead MI to a truly competitive total. In 17, MI is 149 for 5.
No. 4 for Bhuvi
It's the big one, too. Tilak looked to step across and scoop it in that direction, but the fine leg was up. He plays this stroke well, but this time he doesn't quite get it right. It's a low full-toss that is angled away from his stumps, and he ends up inside-edging it into them.
MI is 155 for 6 in 18 overs, and he is out for 57 off 42. Bhuvi had an outstanding performance, finishing with 4 for 23.
166 out of 7
The final two overs of MI's innings are those. They had a terrible time hitting their shots against Hazlewood and Rasikh on this two-paced surface without Tilak. Watching MI's bowlers would have been strangely comforting since, if they go into the pitch and bowl a lot of cross-seam, cutters, and variations, they too might make things difficult for RCB. However, RCB has a clear edge because they have a target in front of them, and it's only a mediocre one.
First ball, Kohli falls
Alright, okay. Virat Kohli made consecutive ducks. In his most recent game, Prince Yadav gave him a cracker, but this time it was an aggressive shot gone wrong. Deepak Chahar hits a full, wide outswinger. Kohli wants to knock it straight off mid-off, but he lacks the necessary power. The bat face closes, the ball hits the inside half, and he ends up hitting it at a catchable height.
In 0.4 overs, RCB is 10 for 1. Chahar made a fantastic comeback after giving up consecutive fours to Jacob Bethell at the beginning of the over.
Devdutt Padikkal tucks a ball down the leg side for four as Chahar closes the over. Chahar's economy rate in overs 1 and 2 this season is 14.00, hence 14 off the over is appropriate. During any IPL season, no bowler has been more costly in overs 1 and 2 (at least five overs in that phase).
Chahar strikes once more
This is such a nostalgic game. Bhuvi and Chahar are getting trapped in the top orders by swinging the new ball big. A good ball is a good ball, but Chahar has been far more erratic than Bhuvi today (and throughout the season). This ball is not only excellent but also exquisite. It is long, angles into off stump from around the wicket, straightens extremely late, squares Padikkal up in defence, and finds the keeper's edge.
In three overs, RCB is 24 for 2.
Three down
Joining the fun, Corbin Bosch bowls the ideal ball for this pitch. Hard length, into the pitch, into the body, and it reaches Rajat Patidar faster than anticipated, absolutely cramping him on the pull. RCB is 39 for 3 in 5.1 overs after only managing a top edge that loops up to the keeper.
Krunal Pandya has been elevated to No. 5 by RCB.
Krunal keeps RCB in the game
Jacob Bethell is having trouble at one end. Since hitting fours off the first two balls of the RCB innings, he has not hit any boundaries and is currently batting on 26 off 26.
Krunal Pandya, on the other hand, is playing what might be an important innings for RCB. He's found the boundary just frequently enough to keep RCB in this chase, but timing the ball on this pitch is still challenging. In addition to hitting three fours, he just hit AM Ghazanfar over wide long-on for the second six of his innings. RCB needs 73 off 48 balls, and he is currently batting at 41 off 26.
Bosch acquires Bethell
That might have been one of this innings' finer-timed moments. He flicks the whole ball, which is angled into him from around the wicket, to the guy at deep midwicket with ease and accuracy. If he had tried a little harder, he might have hit it for six.
In 12.1 overs, RCB is 94 for 4. This season, Jitesh Sharma, who is averaging 8.00, enters.
Bawa is given a second over
Suryakumar Yadav attempted Raj Bawa on this pitch because of its two-pacedness and up-and-down bounce, even though he is at best military-medium. He performed admirably in his opening over, which yielded eight runs. However, in the fourteenth over, when RCB desperately needs to move on, SKY takes a chance on a second over for Bawa. RCB now needs 57 off 36, and it goes for 16.
Additionally, Raghu Sharma, a legspinner, is yet to bowl an over.
For Krunal, fifty
Amazing innings. He gets there in 32 balls, and ever since he entered, he has just exuded confidence and decisiveness.
RCB now needs 49 off 30 after getting eight off Bumrah's third over.
Bosch acquires David and Jitesh
But not before he makes a significant, brief appearance. 18 off 12 with some incredible strokes, such as a step-across hook for six over fine leg from Bosch earlier in the over and a back-foot punch for four off Bumrah.
RCB requires 36 out of 25.
With their most dangerous hitter out on the first ball, make that 36 in 24. Bosch's short ball is quite pullable in normal conditions, but this isn't a typical pitch. David's shot ends too soon because the ball stops on him. Bosch has put MI in the lead after clipping the toe-end en route to the keeper!
Everything is taking place
In an outstanding 17th over, Deepak Chahar bowls several slower bouncers while giving up just six runs. And during that over, Krunal starts to experience cramps.
Ghazanfar is brought on by MI to bowl the 18th, and he begins with a dot. Then, when 30 runs are needed from 17, Krunal attempts a massive smash but misses it. Naman Dhir, who is rushing to his right from deep midwicket, catches it and flicks it to Tilak Varma, who is approaching the ball from long-on. This is not anticipated by Tilak, and the ball falls safely. The fact that Dhir didn't walk on the rope is the only positive thing for MI.
Then, as his cramps worsen, Krunal smacks two sixes off the next three balls, both of which cause him to tumble to the ground in pain.
This reduces RCB's target to 18 off 13, and Krunal comes very close to making it 12 off 12 with another huge shot. However, Tilak makes a fantastic decision this time, sprinting to his left from long-on. When his feet step outside the rope, he does a flawless juggle to ensure he isn't holding onto the ball.
Bumrah starts the 19th over with RCB needing 18 from 12 as Krunal collapses for a remarkable 46-ball 73.
Bumrah acts in a Bumrah manner
RCB required 18 out of 12. They now require 15 out of 6. Romario Shepherd will be on strike when Raj Bawa bowls the twentieth. This has been quite the game.
MI and LSG are eliminated as RCB wins a thrilling match
What a game. What a last over. Kumar Bhuvneshwar. Has he previously hit a six? Throughout his life? And what a final ball full of mistakes. Before I say anything further, let me collect my thoughts.
In one way or another, it seemed like poetic justice that Bhuvneshwar Kumar would prevail in this match. And he accomplished it with the most spectacular (and unusual) shots he has ever made. He's a beautiful, technically sound, obstinate lower-order hitter, but a six-hitter? This was his first six since 2016 and only his fourth in his IPL career.
What a shot, too. Drive over the covers in a clean, crisp manner. Bhuvi absolutely could not lose today. For the innings he played, Krunal Pandya was also unable to. Thus, everything came together to cause Raj Bawa to misfield the last ball. Sometimes the only explanation is a lot of soap opera crap, but that's just the way things are.
This implies that both LSG and MI are eliminated from postseason contention.
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