The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 witnessed yet another dramatic finish in Raipur as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) went down to the final ball in a contest filled with tension, momentum swings, and a controversial fielding moment that completely changed the course of the game.

With the match hanging in the balance during the death overs, a key incident involving two Mumbai Indians fielders suddenly became the talking point of the evening, shifting focus away from the chase itself.

Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir’s communication lapse sparks chaos in the crucial 18th over

RCB needed 30 runs from the final three overs. Krunal Pandya kept Bengaluru in the hunt with a fighting knock, while AM Ghazanfar was handed the responsibility of bowling the 18th over for the Mumbai Indians. The over began quietly before complete confusion unfolded on the second delivery. Krunal lofted the ball towards long-on, where Naman Dhir completed a near-boundary catch but, in the process, lost balance near the rope and flicked the ball back into play towards Tilak Varma.

However, Tilak failed to complete the relay cleanly, leading to immediate uncertainty among the fielders over whether it had crossed the boundary. While one side argued it was a six, the other insisted it was a legal save. After a long review, the third umpire ruled it a fair effort, and since no run was taken, the delivery remained a dot ball, but the moment had already shifted momentum.

Here’s the video:

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RCB survive late MI fightback to seal last-ball win in Raipur

What followed proved even more costly for the Mumbai Indians. Krunal immediately capitalised on the chaos, smashing two massive sixes later in the same over to swing the pressure firmly back onto MI. Just when Mumbai thought they had control again, Tilak produced redemption in the same over, holding onto a stunning juggling catch near the boundary ropes to dismiss Krunal for a superb 73 off 46 balls. The dismissal left RCB needing 18 runs from 12 balls, but the match was far from over.

Jasprit Bumrah tightened the contest with a superb 19th over, conceding just three runs and pushing Mumbai back into control. With 15 needed off the final over, MI appeared to have the advantage. However, under pressure, Raj Bawa could not defend the target as RCB kept their composure and sealed a dramatic last-ball victory, completing one of the most chaotic finishes of IPL 2026.

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