Krunal Pandya opened up about his special relationship with his younger brother Hardik Pandya, detailing how their cricket chats and shared journey helped them develop as players over time. The Pandya brothers are one of Indian and international cricket's most well-known sibling duos, having represented India together and sharing a dressing room in the IPL.
Although Hardik draws more attention for his spectacular all-round performances for India and his IPL leadership, Krunal believes their relationship has always been built on helping each other improve as players.
There had been rumors during IPL 2026 that all was not well between Krunal and Hardik Pandya. This started when MI and RCB clashed at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in IPL 2026. The brothers seemed reserved around each other, unlike in the past, when they greeted each other with warmth.
During the game, Krunal attempted a bouncer against Hardik, and the MI captain appeared astonished. Krunal was ecstatic when Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd joined forces to reject Hardik.
Krunal reflected on the discussions they regularly have about matches and how it has also been beneficial for their careers in a conversation with The Times of India.
"Obviously, we have played together. We have always discussed cricket in terms of tactical, technical stuff, which always helps. It has always been a good conversation, a very healthy conversation about cricket and how we can get better,” Krunal Pandya told Times of India.
Each of the brothers has won five IPL championships. As RCB successfully defended their title in the 2026 IPL, Krunal won his most recent match. He has three trophies with MI and two with RCB. Hardik, meanwhile, has won four championships with MI and one with GT (as captain).
"When you have your brother also playing the same sport, it always helps each other." And, I mean, 10 trophies in the Pandya household is not a bad number to have. God’s been kind,” he added.
The remark revealed how proud Krunal is of his family's achievements in cricket. According to Krunal's remarks, their mutual passion for cricket, dedication to supporting one another, and open discussions about the sport continue to be the cornerstones of their success.
“There’s no doubt about it, every IPL trophy is special. It’s like having kids, right? You can’t pick. Similar to IPL trophies because everything is so hard-earned. I’m so glad and grateful that in 11 years, I have five trophies; it’s pretty special for me.
The way they prepared before the auction also last year, and the way they set the team, right? The balance of it. Sometimes, half of the battle is won in the auction. I guess they did a pretty good job. And then eventually, it was on us to go out and deliver. And yeah, glad that we were able to have the hold on the trophy back-to-back,” Krunal had stated after winning the IPL 2026 in Ahmedabad.
