Mumbai: Royals beat Bengaluru by 18 runs Mumbai Indians It tasted a little sweeter for him at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night Krunal Pandya. Enjoying a special outing against his former franchise, the all-rounder, who unveiled his new hairstyle – Jamaican braids that fans said may have been inspired by England pacer Jofra Archer – enjoyed getting the better of his brother. Hardik Pandya. Rejoicing in a moment that will probably give him home bragging rights for a few days, Krunal quipped that it was always a case of “one Pandya had to win”.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!In a high-scoring match, RCB posted a mammoth total of 240 for four, before restricting MI to 222 for four. On a flat surface with nothing for the bowlers, Krunal produced a torrid spell of one for 26 in four overs, taking the crucial wicket of India’s T20 captain Surya Kumar Yadav, who looked dangerous as he batted for 33, before sweeping the left-arm spinner at deep backward square leg. Krunal thus helped RCB derail MI’s innings in the middle overs, which proved decisive in the end. At a position he is very familiar with, Krunal once again showed why he is a valuable asset for RCB.“Wankhede has always been close to my heart. I played here for six years and was lucky to win three trophies during that time,” Krunal said in the post-match press conference.“So it’s always special to come here, and like I said last year too, the points are coming home at the end. One Pandya had to win, and I think I’m lucky in that,” he added.After moving to RCB from Lucknow Supergiants in 2025, Krunal has become a reliable figure in their setup. He was instrumental in last season’s title-winning campaign, taking 17 wickets in 15 matches at 22.29 and scoring 109 runs at 18.16 at the bottom of the order. This run included a brilliant, match-changing haul of two wickets for 17 runs in four overs in the final against Punjab Kings. Adjudged as ‘Player of the Match’, Colonel took the wickets of Prabhasmaran Singh and Josh Inglis to turn the tide in RCB’s favour, as Punjab Kings fell six runs short in their chase of 191. So far in IPL 2026, Krunal has taken five wickets @ 23.60 at an economy rate of @ 9.07 in four matches for the defending champions. Pandya’s spells have helped RCB gain control and win the middle overs battle. More than the numbers, it’s his ability to step up in big moments that stands out. The 35-year-old Baroda skipper is the only cricketer to win the player of the match award twice in the IPL final.‘Don’t pre-plan bowling bouncers but want to be one step ahead of the batsmen’One ‘surprise weapon’ that Krunel has used successfully against batsmen is the bouncer – not a delivery usually associated with spinners. Krunal said he uses the delivery according to his gut feeling and stays one step ahead of the batsmen.“I never hesitate to try different and new things because with the impact player principle, earlier you were No. 6 or 7 as an all-rounder and the batsmanship was completely different. But now there are pure batsmen (coming in) at No. 8 and other skill sets, concerts from young guys like Mukal (Choudhary) and Vibhu (So) respectively. As a bowler, I want to take a step forward both skill-wise and mentally.““I am happy that it is coming out well and hopefully there are finger spinners in this format who are alive and can take something out of it and do well. Because (a) flat track and with eight batsmen it has become very difficult for a finger spinner,” Cronell added.Often surprised by a spinner’s short fast delivery, batsmen leave the delivery alone. Cronell said his bouncers are pre-planned, but spontaneous. “I am someone who follows my gut. I don’t plan in advance whether I want to bowl the fourth or fifth or sixth ball as (a) bouncer. There are days when I will bowl two bouncers back-to-back and suddenly I will bowl the first and sixth balls,” he said.“But yes, it’s more of a deep sense of when to bowl and I’m just 100 per cent committed to that. People say a lot about my bouncers and the balls that look quite different and funny…but I’ve always worked on my bowling fundamentals and if you see that I’m tall and I’ve been able to get that bounce, I’ve (also) been able to get the batsmen out with spin and deception. I don’t practice bowling bouncers much. It’s just that I actually bowl in the game,” he explained. ‘Kohli should be fine’ Meanwhile, the Colonel said that Virat Kohli The batting superstar should be “on the mend” after being sidelined for the second half of the game due to a sprained ankle. “I haven’t spoken to the physio yet but I think he will be fine. I think there is nothing to worry about,” said Cronell.
