Krunal Pandya on his best IPL season and maiden RCB title win

Krunal Pandya reflects on his fourth IPL title, his first with RCB. He details his match-winning 73* against DC on a tricky wicket and a memorable debut against KKR, where he was named Player of the Match.

After representing a couple of franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Krunal Pandya won his fourth title as a player last year, his first with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and went on to have his personal best season. Speaking on JioStar's 'The Krunal Pandya Experience', the RCB All-rounder shared his thoughts on his debut season with the franchise, playing against MI at the Wankhede Stadium, and the emotions after winning the title.

Match-winning knock against DC

Talking about his match-winning unbeaten knock of 73 against DC in Delhi last year, Pandya said, "The wicket was a little tricky that day. In the IPL, most wickets are flat, but that one in Delhi was holding a bit. I gave away just 28 runs in my spell, bowled slower balls, used the surface, and got Faf du Plessis out. When you have bowled on a wicket, you have an idea of how it is playing when you come out to bat. I had not batted much before that innings because our top order was doing so well, and I walked in at 20 for 3."

"It was around our seventh or eighth game, and I had hardly batted in the tournament. We were under pressure at that point. Virat was telling me, 'Just keep holding your shape, we will do it.' In my first 17-18 balls, I did not score much, but I knew we had power hitters like Tim David, Romario, and Jitesh behind me, so if we took the game deep, we would be in it. Once I got set, I started playing my shots, and everything fell into place," he added.

Memorable RCB debut

Krunal made a memorable debut for RCB against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 season opening night. After conceding 15 runs in his first over, he made a comeback to finish with figures of 3 for 29, earning Player of the Match honours. He was bought by RCB for Rs 5.75 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 season.

On his RCB debut against KKR, Pandya said, "I was very excited to play my first match. The opening ceremony had just happened. I remember Shah Rukh sir was on stage, and the crowd was chanting. I thought, 'Wow, if we win this match here, it will be fun.' I bowled my first over in the Powerplay and gave away 15 runs. I was like, 'What is happening?' KKR were 110 in 10 overs; they were scoring quickly, and I told myself that I had to make a comeback. In my next over, it was the 11th, I got Ajinkya Rahane out at deep square leg. Then Venkatesh Iyer was batting without a helmet, so I thought I would bowl a bouncer, and he got the helmet back quickly. After that, I bowled a quick second ball, and he got bowled. That is something fast bowlers do."

Crucial all-round performance

Krunal served as a crucial spin-bowling all-rounder, taking 17 wickets and scoring 109 runs to help RCB win their maiden IPL title the previous year. (ANI)

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