Suryakumar Yadav expressed disappointment after Mumbai Indians (MI) were officially knocked out of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 following a heartbreaking last-ball defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Raipur on Sunday.
In what turned out to be one of the most dramatic matches of the season, RCB held their nerves till the very final delivery to secure victory and end MI’s playoff hopes. Reflecting on the defeat, Suryakumar admitted that Mumbai fell short with the bat and pointed toward the “wrong timing of wickets” as a major reason behind the loss.
The MI skipper also praised several teammates for showing character during the tense contest despite the painful result.
Suryakumar Yadav rues MI’s missed opportunities
Speaking after the thrilling encounter, Suryakumar credited young all-rounder Raj Bawa for his efforts with the ball and said MI almost managed to pull off a memorable win.
"I think he (Raj Bawa) had been practicing that (death bowling) really well and he was a complete different all rounder this year. Almost pulled it off for us,” Suryakumar said.
The MI captain also admitted that his side finished with a below-par total despite a fighting effort from the middle order.
"I think we were 10-15 runs short. We can say wrong timing of wickets (while batting). Naman and Tilak batted beautifully and showed character.”
Suryakumar reserved special praise for Tilak Varma after the youngster produced an excellent effort in the field despite initially fumbling a catch.
"I think these are the things you practice a lot with the fielding. The way Tilak came back and took the catch again, showed that he wanted to do something special. Part of the game.”
The emotional MI skipper also acknowledged how difficult it was for the franchise to accept an early elimination from the tournament.
"I think we can just try and play this game because we love it. Though we are not used to being in this position often. Hard pill to swallow. Hopefully we will come back well next year.”
Suryakumar further applauded Corbin Bosch for his bowling effort during crucial phases of the match.
"Very proud of the way he (Bosch) bowled in the powerplay and in all phases.”
RCB edge MI in last-ball thriller to seal massive win
RCB survived a massive scare before defeating Mumbai Indians in a nail-biting final-over finish at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.
RCB found themselves in serious trouble early in the chase after slipping to 39/3 in 5.1 overs. However, Krunal Pandya produced a match-winning innings of 73 runs off 46 balls to revive Bengaluru’s hopes.
Mumbai Indians fought back strongly after Krunal’s dismissal and dragged the game down to the final delivery. RCB required two runs from the last ball and eventually managed to complete the chase in dramatic fashion.
Earlier in the match, Tilak Varma anchored MI’s innings with a composed 57 off 42 balls, while Naman Dhir contributed 47 runs during a crucial partnership.
However, MI struggled to accelerate after the duo got out, with veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar starring for RCB with brilliant figures of 4/23 to restrict MI to 166/7 in 20 overs.