Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra questioned Mumbai Indians skipper Suryakumar Yadav and the team’s think tank after they suffered a two-wicket loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Raipur in the ongoing IPL 2026 on Sunday.

Chopra questioned SKY for giving the final over to inexperienced Raj Bawa when RCB needed 15 runs. MI had the game in their grasp as RCB needed nine runs off the last three deliveries after Romario Shepherd was dismissed but Bhuvneshwar Kumar smashed a first-ball six to get his team back into the contest.

SKY had the option of bowling either Allah Ghazanfar or Will Jacks but he backed the youngster. Bawa eventually returned with expensive figures of 1-39 in three overs he bowled.

“Why did Raj Angad Bawa bowl the last over? I didn’t understand the logic behind him bowling that over for the simple reason that Ghazanfar’s over was left. If Ghazanfar’s over is left, you will go towards him. Romario Shepherd, who couldn’t hit Digvesh Rathi in the last match, was facing,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

“Raj Angad doesn’t always bowl even in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His first over in this match was okay. It was an eight-run over, but he had conceded 16 runs in his second over. Why would you go towards him for the 20th over? He bowled 10 balls. It wasn’t his mistake. The kid has just started playing. The mistake was of the one who thought he should be given the last over,” he added.

The renowned analyst said it would have been fine if Ghazanfar had been hit for sixes, as he is an international bowler.

“If Ghanzanfar had been hit for sixes, so be it, but he is Ghazanfar. He is an international bowler. He had an over left, and you didn’t go to him – very, very surprising,” he observed.

With this loss, MI was knocked out of IPL 2026.