'We don't deserve to win'- Rajat Patidar's shocking statement after RCB's last-ball win over MI in IPL 2026    

Despite their stunning last-ball victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Mumbai Indians at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, Rajat Patidar, dropped a shocking statement of ‘we don’t deserve to win’ in the post-match presentation.

It was a vital victory for the defending champions, who came into this encounter on the back of their two successive defeats. However, this victory over the five-time champions has boosted their top-two finish as they find themselves at the top of the table with 14 points in 11 games at a net run rate of +1.103.

What did Rajat Patidar actually mean? The full context behind his stunning post-match admission

Patidar seemed to be a little unhappy . There was a point when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) needed to score at eight runs per over with so many wickets in hand. But they frustratedly kept losing several wickets at the backend of the innings and put themselves in a spot. 

“I think bowlers have done a tremendous job there. Restricting them to 166, and that was, I would say, easily chaseable. But to be honest, I think we don't deserve to win this match because we have a skillful batting lineup. So, no matter how the situation and the pitch condition are, we are capable enough to chase those targets easily.” The Indian batter admitted honestly.

See Also: Watch: Virat Kohli out for a golden duck again! RCB stumble early chasing 167 against MI in IPL 2026

“Right now, we are not bothered about the table because our mantra is to play on our strengths and play good cricket rather than looking at the table.” He added in the post-match presentation.

RCB beat MI on the last ball in Raipur to move top of IPL 2026 table    

Mumbai, put into bat first in the game, was restricted to 166 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Tilak Varma played a decent knock of 57 runs in 42 balls with the help of three boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 135.71. That was a vital knock from the southpaw, given they were losing wickets at a cluster from the other end.

Meanwhile, RCB was in the chase only because of Krunal Pandya’s sensational knock of 73 runs off 46 balls at a strike rate of 158.70, thanks to four boundaries and five sixes. But after his dismissal in the 18th over, the defending champions again crumbled.

See Also: Watch: Rajat Patidar smashes Mohammed Shami for successive sixes during RCB vs LSG clash in IPL 2026

However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first-ball six against Raj Bawa under pressure scripted their nervy last-ball win to move to the top of the points table with 14 points in 11 games at a net run rate of +1.103.

RCB playoff picture after Match 54- What Patidar's win over MI means for the top four race        

Bengaluru is now almost confirmed to finish among the top four to qualify for the playoffs. But their eyes will be on the top two finishes to get the extra opportunity to make it into the final of the event.

The road won’t be easy for the franchise. They will host the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) next in Raipur. The opponents are coming off three successive victories at the business end of the competition after a poor start to the campaign.

After that, RCB will be up against the Punjab Kings and the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are respectively at the fourth and second position of the table. They need to win at least two of those three games to confirm the top-two finish.

Follow the RCB vs MI IPL 2026 Match 54 scorecard-

RCB 167/8 (Krunal Pandya 73, Corbin Bosch 4/26) beat MI 166/7 (Tilak Varma 57, Naman Dhir 47, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/23) by 2-wickets.