Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has opined that Royal Challengers Bengaluru would have lost if Bhuvneshwar Kumar had not hit a six against Mumbai Indians’ rookie pacer Raj Bawa in the final over at Raipur in the ongoing IPL 2026 on Sunday.

With RCB needing nine runs off the last three balls with Romario Shepherd back in the dugout, the game was in Mumbai Indians’ grasp. However, Kumar smashed a first-ball six and eventually RCB were able to get a thrilling two-wicket win.

Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “The brilliance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. That six on the delivery outside the off stump. Looking at the field placement, Bhuvi himself knew exactly what was coming. From the field setup, it was clear that the yorker was going to be bowled on the wide line. The batter anticipated it, moved outside the off stump early, and then played that unbelievable shot over covers. If that shot had not come off, RCB would 100% not have won the match. So, considering the context of the game and from Bengaluru’s perspective, I think it turned out to be a very memorable day for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.”

Furthermore, the seasoned pacer returned with impressive figures of 4-23 in his quota of four overs and thus played a key role in restricting MI to 166. Kumar accounted for Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. Thus, he was awarded Player of the Match for his fine performance.

Pathan hailed Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his all-round performance with both bat and ball.

He added, “Bhuvneshwar Kumar, boss, you have to give it to him. He played a very important role in winning this match. The four wickets he picked were a complete masterclass. Against Ryan Rickelton, he knew exactly what to do. He bowled on a good length and got him out that way. But the way he set up Rohit Sharma and dismissed him was truly praiseworthy.

“Rohit had already scored heavily off Josh Hazlewood, he was around 22 runs in nine balls, with a strike rate of over 200. Bhuvneshwar knew that if he tried to bowl normal swing deliveries, he would get stuck. So he bowled off-pace deliveries and used the knuckleball intelligently. He used the knuckleball very smartly, taking the ball away from Rohit, got the outside edge, and dismissed him. I think, in the context of the game, Rohit looked very comfortable at the crease. When Bhuvneshwar got his wicket, it made the team’s grip on the match much stronger,” he concluded.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders at Raipur on Wednesday.