Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were at the receiving end of an agonizing one-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 36 of the IPL 2024 season at the Eden Gardens on Sunday (April 21).

Chasing 223 to win, RCB finished on 221/10 in their allotted 20 overs. After losing Virat Kohli (18) and Faf du Plessis (7) early, they rode on a 102-run stand between Rajat Patidar (52 off 23) and Will Jacks (55 off 32) to stay in the hunt. However, Russell dismissed both of them in the 12th over to detail the chase.

An over later, Cameron Green (4) and Mahipal Lomror (6) were removed by Sunil Narine as RCB slipped to 155/6. While Suyash Prabhudessai (24 off 18), Dinesh Karthik (25 off 18) and Karn Sharma (20 off 7) came up with valiant efforts, KKR managed to hold their nerves to get over the line on the final delivery.

After the game, a few heartbroken RCB fans alleged that the loss was down to a major umpiring blunder. They shared a video on social media to point out that Impact Player Suyash Prabhudessai was denied a six during the 17th over of the chase.

As KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy bowled a delivery down towards the leg side, Prabhudessai shuffled a bit and rocked back to shovel it over short fine leg. The shot was signalled as a boundary, but fans claimed that it was six while also alleging that the umpires did not bother to check whether the ball landed inside or outside the ropes.

Here are some of the reactions:

This was RCB’s seventh loss in eight games this season. They continue to languish at the bottom of the points table, featuring 10 teams.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on April 25.