Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma - (Source: ScreenGrab/Hotstar)
In the IPL 2026 match between RCB and MI and the Raipur Stadium, Krunal Pandya emerged as an unsung hero. While chasing a total of 167, RCB lost early wickets but Krunal Pandya stayed till the end and nearly won the match for his team single-handedly.
Mumbai Indians were presented with an opportunity to get Pandya out but Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma failed to take a relay catch. Notably, on the 2nd ball of the 18th over, Krunal Pandya looked for a six and nearly got one, but was presented a favour by the MI duo.
Naman Dhir And Tilak Varma Drop Krunal Pandya At Crucial Time
Chasing a target of 167, RCB lost early wickets, but Krunal Pandya scored 73 (46), which featured four fours and five sixes. In the Allah Ghazanfar over, Pandya hit a shot that Naman Dhir took the catch but lost control and gave a throw to Tilak Varma who was inside the field.
However, Tilak Varma failed to judge the ball and the ball fell in no man's land. Eventually, what would have been a catch, was a turned down opportunity which cost Mumbai Indians the match.
Naman Dhir And Tilak Varma Engage In Heated Argument
Following the lost opportunity, Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma engaged in a heated argument. Dhir slammed Varma for misjudging the ball because Krunal Pandya's wicket was crucial at that point of time.
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Eventually, the two sorted their differences and put behind that incident in the match. But as mentioned above, the lost catch cost MI as RCB registered a last-ball win, where they ran 2 runs to seal the win and top table.
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Eventually, Tilak Varma rectified his mistake and took a stellar catch to send Krunal Pandya packing. He pulled off a Suryakumar Yadav-like effort, taking a running catch at long-on and then threw the ball in the air, returned to the field and completed the catch.
Varma earned a lot of praise on social media for his brilliant effort.
Mumbai Indians Officially Out Of IPL 2026
With the defeat, Mumbai Indians have officially crashed out of IPL 2026. Notably, inexperienced star Raj Angad Bawa was handed the last over of the match. He was asked to defend 15 runs, but failed to do so.
Now, MI are out of the race for the playoffs. With that, the Mumbai Indians have extended their worst-run in IPL history without winning a trophy. For the unversed, the five-time winners last won a title in 2020.
Their previous worst phase was in the inuaugral years when MI went five years (2008 to 2012) without a silverware.
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