Bhuvneshwar Kumar has already had a solid fast bowling night in Raipur. Four wickets, Powerplay destruction, smart balls, death yorkers and another step closer to the Purple Cap. And then he somehow scored the shot of the match.
IPL, RCB vs MI: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Not Krunal Pandya’s five sixes while batting through spasms. Not the late fight from Mumbai Indians. Not even the final scramble that finally ended sealed the game for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who launched six over covers in the final over of the chase that completely tilted the game.
And somehow that one swing of the bat ended up feeling bigger than the four wickets he had taken the night before. Because without that six, RCB would have probably lost.
By this time the game had devolved into utter chaos. Chasing 167, RCB looked in control mainly due to Krunal Pandya fighting back with 73 off 46 balls. But once the all-rounder finally went down after battling cramps for nearly half his innings, Mumbai sensed one last opening.
Then came Jasprit Bumrah’s ridiculous 19th over. MI quick completely turned the pressure back on RCB leaving Raj Bawa to defend 15 in the final over. With wickets falling regularly and tension everywhere, Mumbai looked the favorites again.
But the final over refused to behave normally.
BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR WENT FROM DESTROYER TO FINISHER
Three widths. No-balls. One goal. Pure panic. That final ending was anything but calm.
Even after Romario Shepherd was dismissed trying to force the pace, RCB somehow hung around as Mumbai just couldn’t quite shut the door. Then he went in Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
This is a man whose job for most of his IPL life has been to wreck batting line-ups, not salvage sixes chases. His previous IPL six before this one? Still in 2016.
Yes. 2016.
In the same season in which he won the Purple Cap and helped Sunrisers Hyderabad win the title. And yet there he was in Raipur, with RCB floundering, casually slicing Raje Bawa over covers for a six, like this, it was all part of the plan.
Just a pure cricket shot under ridiculous pressure. The kick immediately exploded as everyone knew how massive the moment was. Mumbai lost control of it there.
That one shot completely changed the mood of the chase.
KRUNAL’S BATTLE IN CRAMP SET THE STAGE FOR MADNESS
The irony of the conclusion was that Krunal Pandya had already done almost everything needed to win the match. RCB’s chase got off to a horrendous start. Virat Kohli fell for his second straight duck. Devdutt Padikkal followed soon after. Then Rajat Patidar also left.
At 39/3, Mumbai were right back in the contest. Krunal then stepped up against his former franchise and slowly dragged RCB back into the chase through sheer stubbornness.
First he rebuilt carefully before attacking smartly. However, the real drama began when his body began to experience convulsions during the final exams. At one point it looked like his legs just gave up.
And then he somehow managed to drop AM Ghazanfar for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over. His 73 off 46 balls was already a match-winner.
After his release, however, it really looked like everything would go in vain for the jack-of-all-trades.
That made Bhuvneshwar’s six even bigger.
The fast bowler, who had already taken four wickets, also finally hit the most important shot of the match. Only IPL can ever properly script such nonsense.
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Published on:
11 May 2026 07:49 IST
