Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off a thrilling two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026, chasing 167 on the final ball in Raipur. The star of the chase was Krunal Pandya, who scored a fighting 73 off 46 balls despite struggling badly with cramps during his innings. RCB were in trouble at 39/3 when Krunal came in, but he steadied the innings with important partnerships alongside Jacob Bethell and Jitesh Sharma before Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s late six sealed the victory.
Krunal later admitted that pressure situations bring out the best in him. He said the pitch was not easy for big hitting and required patience and smart cricketing shots.“I obviously love tough situations and I always prepare and look forward to those. Obviously wanted to finish the game but I was not able to do it but the shot that Bhuvi played was the shot of the match. It was a wicket where you have to play cricketing shots. Not the kind of wicket where you line up the bowlers. You have to apply and grind and play the knock,” Krunal said.Watch the emotional speech by Krunal Pandya:Krunal revealed that he was cramping badly throughout his innings and was physically exhausted by the end.“I was cramping a lot. It started from calf, went to glutes and went to my back. So I was cramping a lot. I don’t usually bat so long,” he said.After the match, Krunal became emotional while speaking about former Mumbai Indians teammate Kieron Pollard, calling him a “big brother.” Reflecting on his six successful years with MI, he remembered the bond shared by Pollard and the Pandya brothers.“Polly (Kieron Pollard) is my big brother… GOAT of this format… and as he says, you can’t keep a good man down,” Krunal said.
