Royal Challengers Bengaluru moved back to the top of the IPL 2026 points table after a thrilling win over Mumbai Indians in Raipur. Chasing 167 runs, the Rajat Patidar-led side was under all sorts of trouble, but all-rounder Krunal Pandya played a decisive knock of 73 runs off 46 balls to win the game for the hosts.
The southpaw battled exhaustion and severe cramps during his match-winning knock, but he pushed limits to help the team remain in the hunt. They were slipped to 39/3 in the powerplay and interestingly, the team management sent Krunal at number five. He usually bats lower down the order, but the team backed him ahead of the likes of Jitesh Sharma and Tim David and that proved to be a masterstroke in the end.ย
He rotated strike carefully and pieced together crucial stands while wickets continued to tumble around him. His partnership with Jacob Bethell steadied the innings before the senior all-rounder launched the counterattack in the closing overs.
The turning point arrived in the 18th over when Krunal struck two towering sixes against AM Ghazanfar, swinging momentum sharply back towards Bengaluru. However, even after his dismissal, RCB still needed composure to get the job done. The game moved to the final ball of the innings when Rasikh Salam Dar completed a desperate second run alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar. With that, Mumbai were knocked off the playoffs race.ย
Krunal recalls his โbest six yearsโ
After the match, emotions overtook Krunal as he reflected on his years with Mumbai Indians, where he formed a successful core alongside brother Hardik Pandya and franchise legend Kieron Pollard. Recalling his six-year association with the franchise, Krunal highlighted the importance Pollard had in shaping him as a finisher.
โKieron is my big brother, right? I mean, I had my best six years in MI. I remember the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard were the engine room. We won a lot of games with bat, ball and fielding,โ Krunal said.
โI still remember in 2021 when we were playing our last game, the three of us held each other’s hand and felt like okay, this is the last time we’ll be able to play together. It was obviously an emotional moment again, but I love Kieron Pollard. Heโs a terrific human being, goat of this format, won so many trophies and games. As they say, youโre right, Kieron always used to tell me that you can’t keep a good man down,โ he added.
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