Bhuvneshwar Kumar had already produced a proper fast bowler’s night in Raipur. Four wickets, Powerplay destruction, clever knuckleballs, yorkers at the death and another step closer towards the Purple Cap. And then he somehow ended up playing the shot of the match too.
IPL, RCB vs MI: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Not Krunal Pandya’s five sixes while batting through cramps. Not the late fight from Mumbai Indians. Not even the final-ball scramble that eventually sealed the game for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar launching a 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 earlier in the night. Because without that six, RCB would probably have been losing.
The game had already twisted itself into complete chaos by then. RCB were chasing 167 and looked in control largely because of Krunal Pandya’s fighting 73 off 46 balls. But once the all-rounder finally fell after battling cramps for almost half his innings, Mumbai sensed one last opening.
Then came Jasprit Bumrah’s ridiculous 19th over. The MI quick completely flipped the pressure back on RCB, leaving Raj Bawa to defend 15 in the final over. With wickets falling regularly and tension everywhere, Mumbai suddenly looked favourites again.
But the final over refused to behave normally.
BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR WENT FROM DESTROYER TO FINISHER
Three wides. A no-ball. One wicket. Pure panic. That final over had everything except calm.
Even after Romario Shepherd got dismissed trying to force the pace, RCB somehow kept hanging around because Mumbai simply could not close the door fully. Then walked in Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Now, this is a man whose job for most of his IPL life has been ruining batting line-ups, not rescuing run chases with sixes. His previous IPL six before this? Back in 2016.
Yes. 2016.
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 wobbling, casually slicing Raj Bawa over covers for six like this was all part of the plan.
Just a clean cricket shot under ridiculous pressure. The dugout exploded instantly because everyone knew how massive that moment was. Mumbai lost control of the over right there.
That one shot completely changed the mood of the chase.
KRUNAL’S CRAMP BATTLE SET THE STAGE FOR THE MADNESS
The irony of the finish was that Krunal Pandya had done almost everything needed to win the game already. RCB’s chase had started horribly. Virat Kohli fell for a second straight duck. Devdutt Padikkal followed soon after. Then Rajat Patidar departed too.
At 39/3, Mumbai were properly back in the contest. Krunal then walked out against his former franchise and slowly dragged RCB back into the chase through sheer stubbornness.
He first rebuilt carefully before starting to attack spin smartly. But the real drama began once cramps started taking over his body in the final overs. At one point, it looked like his legs had simply given up.
And then somehow, he still managed to launch AM Ghazanfar for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over. His 73 off 46 balls felt match-winning already.
But after his dismissal, it did look like things were going to go in vain for the all-rounder.
That is what made Bhuvneshwar’s six even bigger.
A fast bowler who had already taken four wickets somehow ended up hitting the most important shot of the match too. Only the IPL can properly script nonsense like this sometimes.
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