Krunal Pandya scripted a spectacular comeback and ended RCB’s ten-year skid at the stadium by being composed till the very end of the game, which came down to the final over. At the legendary Wankhede Stadium on Monday night, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), captained by Rajat Patidar, defeated the Mumbai Indians (MI) by an unforgettable 12-run margin.
The left-arm all-rounder was tasked with limiting the MI hitters and defending 19 runs in the final six deliveries. He was successful in getting his line and lengths correct. He finished with his highest IPL numbers of 4/45 after taking three wickets in the over from Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, and Naman Dhir. When questioned about defeating his brother Hardik Pandya’s team after the game, the 34-year-old said that only one family member was expected to be on the winning side.
The love and devotion that Hardik and I feel for one another is quite natural, and we both understood that there could only be one Pandya who would win. In the post-match interview, he stated, “I feel bad for him because he (Hardik) batted so well, but the most important thing is that we (our team) won.”
Rajat has been excellent from the beginning: Krunal Pandya
Controversy and inconsistency have plagued Hardik’s captaincy. Jasprit Bumrah, the great pacer, returned, but MI was unable to improve the situation. However, under Andy Flower’s leadership, Krunal, who is playing for the RCB this season, has been thriving and making contributions with the ball as well.
“Andy (Flower) and I were there for 2 years in LSG, and it was good to know Andy from personal space and the way we are going as a team, we are in a very good head space,” he stated.
After being asked to bat first, the visiting team scored an above-average total of 221/5. They got off to a great start in the PowerPlay thanks to Virat Kohli (67 off 42) and Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 22). With 70 runs in the final five overs, Jitesh Sharma (40* off 19) and Rajat Patidar (64 off 32) made sure the squad reached the 200-run milestone.
MI’s pursuit began steadily. Despite Hardik’s fast 42 and Tilak Varma’s 56, they had trouble in the middle overs after being 54/2 at the end of the PowerPlay. When Hardik hit two sixes from Krunal after smashing Hazlewood for 22 runs in an over, the tide turned. However, the bowling prowess of Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Krunal came just as MI were poised to achieve a spectacular victory.
“At some point, the experience had to come in since Santner was batting when I got onto the bowl, the leg side was shorter, and I had played here for ten years. As a bowler, there are moments when you want to commit, and it’s crucial to give it your all because it facilitates execution. Rajat has been excellent from the beginning, and he supports your strategy and instills confidence in you. He keeps things simple and is quite calm. Jitesh has been excellent; his game has developed, and he bats with exceptional game awareness. He has always been outstanding with the gloves. “I just want to keep winning and keep my head down,” Krunal said in closing.
Notably, MI will have some time to regroup before their own match against DC on April 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, while RCB will now travel home to play the Delhi Capitals on April 10.
India
