The Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya has evolved as probably the greatest all-rounder ever for the franchise with some impactful contributions. In this season, he has simply been outstanding with the bat as he has stepped up in crunch moments and he has turned out to be the man for the crisis.
Usually his bowling skills have shadowed his batting ability but this time, it has been the opposite but still his bowling has been brilliant as well. Krunal Pandya has accumulated 225 runs and 13 wickets from just 15 matches. He is also just the third RCB player to score 200 runs and pick 10 wickets in a single IPL season.
A lot of the credit will have to go to the RCB management for showing faith in the veteran and for honing his skills. The tactical backing to pick Krunal Pandya was pretty clear as they wanted a spinner who relied on his disciplined lengths and economical overs to bowl at the Chinnaswamy. In the IPL 2025 season, he scored 109 runs and picked up 17 wickets as well. Not to forget, he was the Player of the Match in the IPL 2025 Finals and what a bigger achievement to have in the TATA IPL.
Krunal Pandya’s transformation into RCB’s ultimate crisis man
When RCB picked Krunal Pandya for INR 5.75 Crores in the IPL 2025 auction, every expert claimed that it was probably the steal of the auction. The role that RCB had in mind for the crafty left-armer was to control the flow of runs in the Chinnaswamy and to come in to bat in a scenario when RCB lost quick wickets. To have a player for the crisis situation is a luxury for any side in the tournament and Krunal Pandya has fitted into that role almost better than anybody else.
In the modern T20 game, the spinners are finding it difficult to survive in the flat tracks and batting friendly conditions. Meanwhile Krunal Pandya has constantly adjusted to the changing trends with some new tricks up his sleeves. His bouncers have caught batters off guard and his pace variations are enough to outsmart even the world’s finest. Some of the experts even claim that he is miles ahead of the other all-rounders as he can bowl 6 different deliveries throughout the over.
RCB saw a glimpse of a match-winning knock from Krunal Pandya in the game against DC last season but this season we have seen a much more consistent version of him. The kind of knocks that he has played this season has been simply top class. His innings against Mumbai Indians would top them all as he was hitting sixes while battling cramps and scored 73 runs in a much-needed run chase.
In Qualifier 1 against GT, he stitched together a brilliant partnership along with Rajat Patidar and he scored 43 runs as well. Krunal Pandya has been considered as a solid batting option at the moment as he is being sent up the order.
As Krunal Pandya continues to improve his game season after season, he is proving to be the greatest all-rounder that RCB has ever produced. He has been the man for the crisis moments and he will be focussed on securing the second title for the franchise. The fans will be hell bent on keeping Krunal Pandya in the side ahead of the IPL 2027 mega auction.
