Raipur: A vintage new-ball spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and a composed half-century by Tilak Varma defined contrasting phases of the Mumbai Indians’ innings as they posted 166/7 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Sunday.
After RCB skipper Rajat Patidar opted to bowl first on a surface with visible cracks and uneven bounce, Bhuvneshwar exploited the conditions brilliantly to leave Mumbai reeling inside the Power-play. The veteran seamer struck in the very first over when Ryan Rickelton miscued an attempted lofted drive to mid-off, setting the tone for a disciplined opening burst.
Mumbai briefly counterattacked through Rohit Sharma, who took on Josh Hazlewood with two sixes and a boundary in an 18-run second over. Rohit looked intent on disrupting RCB’s lengths, but Bhuvneshwar responded with experience and variation.
A clever knuckleball induced a thick edge from Rohit for 22, before Suryakumar Yadav’s much-anticipated return lasted just one ball as he edged to Virat Kohli at first slip. From 22/1, MI suddenly slipped to 28/3, with Bhuvneshwar narrowly missing out on a hat-trick.
On a tricky batting surface where stroke-making never appeared straightforward, Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir steadied the innings with a valuable rebuilding partnership. The pair rotated strike smartly through the middle overs while punishing the occasional loose delivery. Tilak looked assured against spin, especially while taking on Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, while Naman used the pace of the ball effectively, square of the wicket.
RCB’s fielding, however, briefly let Mumbai off the hook. Tilak survived a regulation chance at mid-wicket when Suyash Sharma failed to hold onto a top edge, and a misfield from Romario Shepherd handed away another boundary. The missed opportunities allowed MI to gradually regain momentum.
Naman, who mixed innovation with controlled aggression, appeared set for a half-century before Rasikh Salam Dar produced a crucial breakthrough in the 13th over. The pacer deceived him with a skiddy back-of-a-length delivery that crashed into the stumps, ending a fighting 47 off 32 balls.
Tilak continued to anchor the innings from the other end and brought up a well-crafted fifty with a late cut off Rasikh. He accelerated effectively in the death overs, including a towering slog sweep against Suyash and a straight boundary off Bhuvneshwar, but his dismissal in the 18th over proved a major turning point. Attempting a scoop against Bhuvneshwar, Tilak dragged the ball back onto his stumps for a 42-ball 57.
Bhuvneshwar finished with outstanding figures of 4-23, becoming only the second bowler after Harshal Patel to register six three-wicket hauls in a single IPL season. RCB also closed the innings strongly through Hazlewood and Rasikh, restricting Mumbai to just 31 runs in the final five overs.
Given the challenging nature of the Raipur surface, though, Mumbai will still believe their total could prove competitive.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 166/7 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 57, Naman Dhir 47; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-23, Romario Shepherd 1-18) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
(IANS)
