Krunal Pandya: The Quiet Genius Behind RCB’s Winning Campaign

Krunal Himanshu Pandya isn’t the type of bowler who throws a bunch of different deliveries to confuse the batsman. He doesn’t spin the ball a lot or try fancy tricks like old-school spinners who tempt batters with clever flight. Still, he turned out to be a crucial player for RCB’s huge win in the 2025 IPL. It wasn’t just about the wickets he took it was about how he showed up at key moments during the season, especially in the final against Punjab Kings.

How Krunal Outsmarted Prabhsimran in a Key Over

Look at his second over to Prabhsimran Singh in that big game. The first ball was a little short and going straight to the stumps. The second ball was well pitched, again aiming for the wickets. The third ball was fuller. By then, you could see Prabhsimran was getting a bit annoyed and ready to hit a big shot — his strike rate was just a little over 100.

And then it happened just like you’d expect. Prabhsimran came down the pitch, but Krunal kept his eyes glued to his feet until the last second. He tossed the ball up, didn’t give the batter room to swing freely, and Prabhsimran ended up spooning the ball straight to the fielder at covers.

How Krunal Kept Left-Handers in Check During the IPL Final

Another important part of Krunal’s game in the recent IPL was how well he controlled the scoring when bowling to left-handed batsmen. Usually, left-handers don’t mind facing a left-arm orthodox spinner, but Krunal showed he was something different. To understand his smart bowling against left-handers, let’s take another look at the final.

In his third over, Krunal came around the wicket and bowled a ball right on the front pad of the left-handed Nehal Wadhera, which didn’t give away any runs. The next ball was flatter and aimed at the middle and off-stump area. On the third ball, he pitched it just outside off, and Nehal took a quick single. Even those dot balls put pressure on Josh Inglis.

You could tell Inglis was ready to play a big shot too. The in-form batter stepped out, but Krunal bowled a delivery over 100 kph with no room to hit freely. Inglis could only manage to loft the ball to a fielder at long-on. What’s interesting is how Krunal changed his pace from around 80 kph when bowling to Prabhsimran, to over 100 kph against Inglis in just a few balls. For Prabhsimran, who was struggling, Krunal slowed the ball in the air. For the confident Inglis, he kept it flatter and faster. That shows Krunal’s smart thinking and strong belief in himself.

Krunal’s Match-Winning Performance and Player of the Match Award

No surprise, Krunal was named player of the match for his amazing spell of 2 wickets for just 17 runs in four overs. Even in earlier games, Krunal showed how he could change the course of a match. Who can forget him bowling bouncers in front of a huge crowd at Wankhede Stadium? This was a player ready to give everything to trouble the batter. There was also a league game against PBKS where he took impressive figures of 2 for 25 in four overs. Plus with the bat, Krunal played an important fifty against Delhi Capitals in another league match.

Before this season, Krunal had never taken more than 12 wickets in an IPL season. This time, he grabbed 17 wickets and became a key player for RCB. His economy rate of 8.23 was the second best among left-arm spinners. And he did all this by sticking to simple bowling basics. Some balls spun more some less. Some were aimed straight at the stumps, while others were tossed up. A few deliveries came from a higher release point and some were flatter. In short, it was a smart bowling performance that RCB’s fans will remember for years. 

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