Rare back-to-back Kohli ducks, Raj Bawa’s final-ball blunder knock MI out

Virat Kohli getting out for back to back ducks in the IPL? Yeah, that is something cricket fans are still trying to process. For someone who has dominated this league for more than a decade, seeing him walk back without scoring in two straight matches feels unreal.

And while Kohli’s rare slump grabbed attention again, the bigger story by the end of the night was Mumbai Indians crashing out of the playoff race after a chaotic last ball defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur.

From Kohli’s unwanted record to Krunal Pandya fighting through cramps and a final over full of madness, this match had drama all the way through.

Kohli’s unwanted record returns

Kohli first fell for a duck against Lucknow Super Giants after being bowled by Prince Yadav. That was a peach of a delivery. Then in Raipur, Deepak Chahar removed him for a golden duck in the opening over itself.

It is only the second time in Kohli’s IPL career that he has registered ducks in consecutive matches.

The previous instance came in 2022.

Considering Kohli has played more IPL matches than almost anyone in history, the fact that he has only 12 ducks in his career shows how rare these moments really are.

Mumbai Indians knocked out

Mumbai may have enjoyed the perfect start with Kohli’s wicket, but the night ended in disappointment.

The defeat confirmed MI’s elimination from IPL 2026. With eight losses now this season, they can only reach a maximum of 12 points, which is not enough for qualification.

They are the second team after Lucknow Super Giants to be officially knocked out.

At one stage, Mumbai looked set for a complete collapse after slipping to 28 for 3.

Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir then steadied things brilliantly. Tilak scored 57 while Naman added 47 in a counter attacking partnership that dragged MI back into the contest and helped them post 166 for 7.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was outstanding for RCB with figures of 4 for 23. A proper old school spell from the veteran pacer.

Krunal keeps RCB alive

RCB’s chase did not begin well either after Kohli’s early dismissal put immediate pressure on the batting lineup.

But Krunal Pandya stepped up with a superb knock under pressure. Despite struggling with leg cramps, he kept finding boundaries and finished with 73 off 46 balls to push RCB towards the target.

Then came one of the craziest overs of the season.

Final over chaos in Raipur

RCB needed 15 runs from the last over bowled by young Raj Bawa.

• 19.1: Wide called and then the siren sounds for a no ball as well. Free hit coming. RCB need 13 more.

• 19.2: Single to deep mid wicket. 12 needed.

• 19.3: Another wide and RCB steal an extra run through an overthrow. Suddenly 10 needed.

• 19.4: Dot ball. Pressure back on RCB.

• 19.5: Bhuvneshwar Kumar launches a huge six over cover. Match swings again.

• 19.6: Single taken. RCB need 2 from the final ball.

• Final ball: Rasikh Salam hits it straight back to Raj Bawa. The bowler fumbles while collecting the ball and RCB scramble through for two runs to complete a dramatic win. Unbelievable. But that's what exactly happened.