Rasikh Salam Dar needed two runs off the final ball of the match. He got them by diving back into his crease a fraction of a second before the throw arrived, ending Mumbai Indians’ season on the spot.
But here’s the real problem: most coverage of Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians treats this as just another nail-biting scorecard, without ever connecting it to the exact same clutch composure RCB would need weeks later to win the IPL 2026 title.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians met twice in IPL 2026. first on April 12 at Wankhede Stadium, where RCB won by 18 runs, and again on May 10 at Raipur, where RCB won by 2 wickets in a last-ball finish that eliminated MI from playoff contention.
What most people miss is that these two wins were built on completely opposite templates one a batting-powerplay demolition, the other a tail-end escape act proof that RCB’s title-winning season was built on more than one method of winning.
Match Summary at a Glance
| Detail | Match 20 (April 12, 2026) | Match 54 (May 10, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur |
| Result | Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 18 runs | Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 2 wickets |
| Player of the Match | Phil Salt (78 off 36) | Krunal Pandya (73 off 46) |
| Season impact | RCB’s batting statement early in the season | MI officially eliminated from playoffs |
Two matches, same winning team, and two entirely different paths to victory against the same opponent.
Match 20: Full Scorecard (April 12, 2026, Wankhede Run-Fest)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s top order produced one of the season’s most emphatic batting displays on Mumbai’s home ground.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Batting Innings (240/4 in 20 overs)
RCB’s top three combined for a total that put the game beyond MI’s reach before the chase even began.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Salt | 78 | 36 | Set the tone in the powerplay |
| Virat Kohli | 50 | 38 | Anchored a 120-run opening stand |
| Rajat Patidar (c) | 53 | 20 | Reached fifty off just 17 balls |
| Tim David | — | — | Late cameo pushed the total past 240 |
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Salt and Kohli’s 120-run opening partnership gave RCB the platform, before Patidar’s explosive 53 off 20 balls, including a 17-ball fifty, blew the total well past 240.
Mumbai Indians’ Chase (222/5 in 20 overs, lost by 18 runs)
Chasing 241, Mumbai Indians fought hard but never found the platform needed for a genuine run at the target.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherfane Rutherford | 71* | 31 | 9 sixes, nearly stole the match |
| Hardik Pandya | 40 | — | Middle-order support |
| Ryan Rickelton | 37 | — | Opening contribution |
| Rohit Sharma | 19 | — | Retired hurt with a hamstring issue |
Suyash Sharma was the standout bowler for RCB, taking 2 for 47, including a crucial double-strike in the eighth over that MI’s middle order never recovered from.
Match 54: Full Scorecard (May 10, 2026, The Elimination Thriller)
Weeks later, in a match with MI’s playoff survival on the line, Mumbai Indians were sent in to bat first by RCB captain Rajat Patidar.
Mumbai Indians Batting Innings (166/7 in 20 overs)
MI’s middle order provided the bulk of the total, but it fell short of a truly defendable score.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tilak Varma | 57 | 42 | Top-scorer, anchored the innings |
| Naman Dhir | 47 | 32 | Formed an 82-run stand with Varma |
Varma and Dhir’s 82-run fourth-wicket partnership off 57 balls was the innings’ foundation, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s spell of 4 for 23 restricted MI to a total below what the platform suggested.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Chase (167/8 in 20 overs, won by 2 wickets)
Chasing 167, RCB slipped into trouble before an unlikely rescue act carried them home on the final ball.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krunal Pandya | 73 | 46 | Player of the Match, battled cramps |
| Jacob Bethell | 27 | — | Added 55 with Pandya before falling |
| Rasikh Salam Dar | 3 | 2 | Completed the winning run off the last ball |
Corbin Bosch took 4 for 26 and Deepak Chahar added 2 for 33, putting RCB in genuine trouble before Krunal Pandya and Jacob Bethell’s 55-run stand steadied the innings. With 15 needed off the final over, Raj Bawa’s over included four wides, a no-ball, and a six, before Rasikh Salam Dar scrambled the winning two runs on the last ball, diving back into his crease just ahead of the throw.
Bowling Figures Comparison (Match 54)
| Bowler | Team | Overs | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 4.0 | 23 | 4 |
| Corbin Bosch | Mumbai Indians | 4.0 | 26 | 4 |
| Deepak Chahar | Mumbai Indians | 4.0 | 33 | 2 |
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s contribution deserves more than a single stat line beyond his 4-wicket haul, he also hit RCB’s most crucial six of the innings, launching a beautifully timed shot over the leaping fielder at sweeper cover when RCB needed nine off three balls, his first six in the IPL since 2016.
Turning Point of Each Match
Match 20: The turning point was Suyash Sharma’s double-strike in the eighth over of MI’s chase, which broke Mumbai’s momentum right as Rutherford was building a platform for a genuine chase. Once that partnership was broken, MI never found another period of sustained acceleration.
Match 54: The turning point was Raj Bawa’s chaotic final over, which included four wides and a no-ball alongside a wicket, turning what should have been a comfortable MI defense into a shambolic finish RCB narrowly escaped. This is where things go wrong for a bowling side under pressure: extra deliveries handed RCB free runs at the exact moment MI needed to control the equation tightly.
Player Performance Breakdown
| Player | Match | Performance | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Salt | Match 20 | 78 off 36 | Set the tone for RCB’s 240-run total |
| Rajat Patidar | Match 20 | 53 off 20, captain | 17-ball fifty that blew the total past 240 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | Match 20 | 71* off 31, 9 sixes | Nearly single-handedly stole the match for MI |
| Krunal Pandya | Match 54 | 73 off 46, Player of the Match | Rescued RCB’s chase while battling cramps |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Match 54 | 4/23 plus a crucial six | Complete all-round contribution in the decider |
| Tilak Varma | Match 54 | 57 off 42 | MI’s top-scorer, anchored their total |
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Krunal Pandya’s innings deserves more credit than a single “Player of the Match” tag gives it scoring 73 off 46 balls while visibly battling cramps in the middle overs, and still finding the composure to accelerate afterward, is exactly the kind of resilience that foreshadowed RCB’s eventual title-winning temperament.
What People Think vs What Actually Happened
Most fans watching Match 20 assumed RCB’s 240 was purely a batting masterclass built entirely on Salt, Kohli, and Patidar’s strokeplay.
Reality: MI’s bowling attack also fell apart badly after the eighth over, conceding boundaries at a rate that turned a strong total into a near-unreachable one the total was as much about MI’s bowling collapse as RCB’s batting brilliance.
The common mistake fans make is crediting the batting side entirely for a high score without checking how much the bowling side contributed to its own downfall.
Key Takeaways for Fans and Bettors
- Krunal Pandya’s clutch 73 in Match 54, scored while battling cramps, is a genuine title-winning-mentality performance that deserves more recognition than a single Player of the Match mention
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s dual contribution (4 wickets plus a crucial six) shows RCB’s death-overs depth extends beyond just their frontline batters
- RCB’s two different winning templates against MI — a top-order batting blitz in Match 20 and a nerve-wracking tail-end chase in Match 54 — prove they had more than one method of beating strong opposition all season
- Mumbai Indians’ pattern of strong middle-order partnerships (Rutherford’s 71* and Varma-Dhir’s 82-run stand) undone by bowling or finishing lapses was a recurring theme across both matches
- Raj Bawa’s chaotic final over in Match 54 is a reminder that extras and no-balls under pressure can single-handedly change a match’s outcome, regardless of how well a bowling unit performed earlier
