Krunal Pandya, the left-armer from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp, spoke regarding their strength in the batting lineup after his player-of-the-match-performance against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025. He mentioned guys like Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, and Romario Shepherd, who could take on any bowling attack on this edition of the league. Krunal was named the Player of the Match for his all-round display which nudged him into the highlights for scoring 73 off 47 balls at a strike rate of 155.32, which included five fours and four sixes. With the ball, he took a wicket and gave away 28 runs in his four overs.
It’s always nice to see results from your effort. It feels good when the fruits of your efforts behind the scenes show on-field. My role was pretty clear as if we lost a couple of early wickets, I was there to step up and forge partnerships. We’ve got some serious hitters in the team, people like David, Jitesh, and Shepherd, who can take care of any bowler. Glad I played my role. Much easier when it’s at the other end with Virat. My first 20 balls were kind of shaky, but with Virat at the other end, he just kept backing me up, and I found my rhythm again. A lot of credit goes to him. I consider myself a bowler who keeps it economical, Krunal said after the match.
He also shared his thoughts on his bowling and the standards he aims for. As a bowler, I try to think one step ahead. I’ve worked on my skills quite a lot, especially in all-speed variation. I try to observe the strengths of the batsmen and turn them into advantageous energy for me. Happily, it’s working out for me. My batting is also getting polished little by little. I’m working on various deliveries for batters to keep guessing at my tricks, he elucidated.
Looking back in time, RCB continued their impressive display of seven matches in the season, winning by six wickets against Delhi Capitals. The victory got them to the top of the points table. Chasing a total of 163, RCB actually had a rough opening, having lost three wickets for just 26 runs. The debutant Jacob Bethell scored 12 runs, while Devdutt Padikkal was out for a duck, and captain Rajat Patidar was run out for 6, leaving the team in a tough spot at 26/3.
But the pair then put their heads together to forge a very good partnership of 119 for the fourth wicket. Kohli made 51 runs off 47 balls, including 4 fours, while Pandya continued his imperious form with another not out innings of 73 runs. Together they made RCB 100 runs in just 13.3 overs. Tim David came in after Kohli’s dismissal and sealed off the chase with a speedy 19 off 5 balls to ensure that RCB finished the job in 18.3 overs.
