Amid the usual sixes and fours in IPL 2026, Krunal Pandya, on Sunday, provided, through his innings, a breath of fresh air.
Wickets are flat, boundaries are small, and batsmen are running amok like bulls towards matadors. This has been an overwhelming leitmotif this IPL season. And it does introduce boredom. How often can one see things repeat themselves again and again?
But the Raipur pitch was not like anything we have seen so far. The boundaries were bigger, too. Chasing 167 to win against Mumbai Indians, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and captain fantastic Rajat Patidar were back in the dugout inside six overs. The ball was doing a lot on a double-paced deck. Deepak Chahar and Corbin Bosch took full advantage of that, running through RCB’s top order.
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In came at No.4 Krunal Pandya. Jacob Bethell was at the other end, and naturally, he had all the spotlight on himself, for he is an international prodigy, and not long ago in the T20 World Cup, he scored a fantastic century against eventual champions India. It’s him, RCB fans were looking to, to bail them out.
Krunal, the man possessed!
But right from the outset, Krunal showed he was the man they should be looking to. Under immense pressure at 39/3, he tapped Bosch through the offside for a couple to open his account and in the same over unleashed a pull shot to pick up a six on the legside. Earlier in the over, Patidar had been victim to a short ball, so it was quite brave on Krunal’s part to go for that shot and, more importantly, execute it to a tee.
Thereafter, there was no undue aggression, but he ensured he didn’t play too many dots. Bethell was completely at sea at the other end, but Krunal, instead of asking him to increase the run rate to justify his international credentials, took it upon himself and picked up odd boundaries here and there. The fourth-wicket 55-run stand brought RCB back into the chase.
After Bethell, Jitesh Sharma, who, for a change, contributed some important runs, and Tim David departed, RCB still needed 36 off 24 balls. Anything could have happened from there.
Krunal was also felled by a bouncer by Chahar in the 17th over, and as he fell, he picked up a cramp. He was really struggling thereafter and couldn’t run. Knowing he couldn’t last longer, he prepared himself for the ultimate act.
Allah Gazanfar bowled the 18th over, and despite being in immense pain, the left-hander took his chances. Fortune favours the brave! The timeless proverb manifested itself there as Krunal picked up two sixes before perishing off the last ball of the over for 73 off 47 balls, with the help of four fours and five sixes.
He had done more than his share of the job, but the match still went down to the wire. It would have been a shame if RCB had lost the contest. Thankfully, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who wouldn’t remember when was the last time he had hit a six, pulled off a maximum over covers — yeah, of all places — to ensure the hosts at Raipur won’t end up on the losing side.
But all that wouldn’t have been possible without Krunal’s masterclass. If budding cricketers are looking for a T20 masterclass to show them the way, they need look no further than Krunal’s clinic on Sunday night that enthralled spectators at the Raipur Stadium no end. The IPL returned to Raipur after 10 years and Krunal’s innings made it a special homecoming, make no mistake.