Credit: BCCI/IPL
An honest, simple cricketer with all round talent, and someone who’s not yet a heavyweight in the IPL. Apt definition for Krunal Pandya?
Let’s try but. Krunal Pandya may not actually be a gun cricketer or anything close to that sort.
Neither is he, and this is a point, a legendary cricketer.
He doesn’t posses the ferocious talent that could scare the living daylight out of any batsman. He’s not like a Shane Watson or a Kieron Pollard - neither scary nor intimidating out of the middle.
And yet, here he is; a man true to his craft and someone who actually puts the level of urgency in his work as evidenced by his true contributions made toward the winning cause of his team.
This was evident last evening in what became an exasperating, highly deserving and ultimately, glorious triumph for the Bangalore side that has so desperately waited for the first IPL title. The 2025 title. But even before that game changing spell of his, Krunal Pandya had contributed diligently and laboriously toward his Bangalore team.
Which are some of his most famous prime IPL efforts? Two of those, have actually come this time around in 2025, forget that not.
The game changing spell that stunned Mumbai Indians earlier in 2025
Earlier on in this season’s IPL, an intense game was played between Bangalore and Mumbai in the month of April. In that particular contest, the Gujarat born all rounder bowled an excellent bowling spell that actually broke the back of the famed MI batting. Yes, Krunal Pandya actually took a memorable 4 for 45 in that contest, which was interestingly played against his brother captaining the Mumbai stable.
In what was a thrilling sibling showdown at Mumbai’s Wankhede, the RCB prevailed at the end by 12 runs. But key to their emphatic win was Krunal, who bowled the final over of a tense run chase in which the hosts needed 19. But on the first delivery of that key over, Krunal took the dangerous Santner out of the equation. In the next four deliveries, Deepak Chahar who can hit the ball occasionally a long way was dismissed and so too was Naman Dhir.
While he was a tad hit expensive on that occasion going for 45 runs, his final over was a delivery of perfect execution amid intense pressure and that won it for Bangalore.
The big 2025 final spell at Ahmedabad that swung Bangalore to a win
Last night was a truly unforgettable one for Pandya, the lesser appreciated of the two Pandya brothers who rose to glory along with ten others RCB comrades in Ahmedabad. In some ways, it would have felt like playing amid familiar conditions as he’s from Gujarat but the occasion was too big for it to be taken any lightly.
And cometh the hour of exceptional bowling performance. By no means did RCB put an excessively huge score on the board and yet, a challenging one. A 190 had to be defended and Krunal rose to the occasion.
From his set of 4 overs, he conceded just 17, think of it for a second, whilst taking 2 important wickets. This included the prized wicket of Josh Inglis. However, he’d already inflicted damage having removed the opener Prabhsimran, the right hander actually seeming out of touch.
A courageous but unsung contribution in IPL 2019 final
Back in 2019, when Mumbai played yet another final contest, they still had in their ranks the dependable and a tad bit under appreciated Krunal Pandya.
Of course, playing amid intense pressure wasn’t anything new to the contestant.
But in the modest scoring contest where his Mumbai made just 149, nearly enough to challenge Chennai, if not pressure them aggressively, Krunal Pandya stood out.
Having failed with the bat with a run-a-ball 7, he had to make inroads with an exceptional or memorable performance with the ball in hand. And that’s what Krunal did. He first removed the dangerous Faf du Plessis, who was going at a strike rate of 200. Next up, he was involved in the run out of Shane Watson, who with his 80, looked set to upset MI. But it wasn’t to be.
Along with star bowler Malinga, Pandya kept coming hard at the Chennai camp and ultimately played his hand in creating a 1-run upset in the end.
