At the closing moment of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Mumbai Indians (MI) match tonight, another twist unfolded. Krunal Pandya, who kept RCB in the contest with his batting effort, departed because of an excellent catch taken by Tilak Varma.
In this match, while most of the batters from both of the sides struggled to get runs, Krunal Pandya, who is mostly known for his spin bowling qualities, stood tall as a batter. The target was not massive, 167, but it was the pitch, which made the contest tricky.
Tilak Varma takes an outstanding catch to dismiss Krunal Pandya
On the last ball of the 18th over, Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar helped the Mumbai Indians to get rid of Krunal Pandya. Pandya had to go for a well-made 73 runs from 46 balls.
Tilak Varma grabs a sharp catch after a brief mix-up between Naman Dhir and Krunal Pandya — and Krunal departs after a well-made knock 👏🔥
Moments like these often tilt tight games in favour of Mumbai Indians 🏏 pic.twitter.com/5WV7KBObYc
— CricNationX 🏏 (@CricNationX) May 10, 2026
Tilak Varma tracked it to his left and took a stunning catch, but his momentum dragged him towards the boundary line. But he never kept his nerve strong, like still and with full control, Tilak Varma took the very important catch in the match.
But that effort from Tilak Varma was not enough to secure the match for him. Krunal Pandya left the field, but he felt his presence when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru got the winning runs in the final ball of the match.
Krunal Pandya batted with a calf muscle injury
After the match, Krunal Pandya revealed that he had to bat with a lot of discomfort because of calf muscle issues. But at the end of the day, as the team got two points, he is happy, and that’s matter the most for him.
“I was cramping a lot. It started from my calf, went to my glutes, and went to my back. It was something new for me. What matters are those two points. I love tough situations as I am always prepared. I look forward to doing it when things are tough,” he said after the match.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar who
“That six for sure, because I’ve bowled many times. I’ve took few wickets before as well. But yeah, six is the thing I’ve enjoyed the most. (How do you get inspired to come and deliver performances like these?) Honestly, motivation is very overrated word for me. You read some quote, you see some video and you get motivated for a few minutes and that fades away very quickly.”
“But the thing which keeps me going is the discipline and with that, yes we have physios and trainer with the team, but I’ve got a physio and trainer back at home. They work hard with me as well. They help me to keep me in shape. So I think credit goes to them as well. I think everything depends on the wicket and the position as well.”
“Like today if there was a bit in the wicket when you hit the length ball and yes there are wickets which are flat when you bowl length ball, nothing happens, then you try something different. It’s all about you reading the condition as quickly as possible.
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