Krunal Pandya produced a knock to remember as RCB edged past MI in a last-ball thriller.
Krunal Pandya produced a knock to remember as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) registered a dramatic two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Raipur on Sunday (May 10).
Riding on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s four-wicket haul (4-23 in four overs), RCB restricted MI to 166/7 in 20 overs after skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl first.
In reply, the defending champions were reduced to 39/3 in 5.1 overs. Amid the pressure situation, Krunal slammed 73 off 46 balls with 4 fours and 5 sixes to bring RCB back in the contest.
After Krunal’s dismissal in the 18th over, Bhuvneshwar and Rasikh Salam Dar held their nerve to seal the win for RCB on the last delivery, hitting Raj Bawa for 15 runs in the final over.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Krunal stated he loves high-pressure situations and always prepares for them, but rued not finishing the chase himself.
He described Bhuvneshwar's six as the decisive moment in the match, noting that the Raipur pitch required patience and proper cricketing shots rather than aggressive stroke play.
"I obviously love tough situations and I always prepare and look forward to those. Obviously wanted to finish the game but I was not able to do it but the shot that Bhuvi played was the shot of the match. It was a wicket where you have to play cricketing shots. Not the kind of wicket where you line up the bowlers. You have to apply and grind and play the knock," Krunal said.
Krunal revealed he was battling severe physical challenges during his innings, adding, "I was cramping a lot. It started from calf, went to glutes and went to my back. So I was cramping a lot. I don't usually bat so long."
Krunal Pandya emotionally reflected on his 2016-2021 stint with Mumbai Indians, calling it his best career phase. He called MI batting coach Kieron Pollard a "big brother" and a T20 great, highlighting their "engine room" bond which also includes his younger brother Hardik Pandya.
“Polly (Kieron Pollard) is my big brother, right? I mean, I had my best six years in MI. I remember with the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard were the engine room. We won a lot of games with bat, ball and fielding. I still remember in 2021 when we were playing our last game, we hold three of us, we hold each other's hand and we felt like, okay this is the last time we'll be able to play together and yeah, it was obviously an emotional moment again, but I love Kieron Pollard. (Krunal's voice cracks as he gets emotional) I mean, he's a terrific human being, GOAT of this format, won so many trophies, so many games. And yeah, as they say, you're right, Polly always used to tell me that you can't keep a good man down,” he remarked.
Krunal also explained his decision not to take a single despite the mix up for the catch between two MI players, saying that he was aiming to capitalize as a set batter against the spinner.
“I mean, I felt like I can take on the spinner because I was batting well. I was set, so I thought that let me play those six balls and let me capitalize in those six balls. So that was the conversation. We have been chatting as a batting group that if you fancy a single bowler, just face all six balls. And that's what I wanted to do there,” he concluded.