RCB's INR 5.75 Cr mega auction purchase impresses Virat Kohli: ‘Today was his day. We were waiting for him…'
RCB got their third-straight win on the trot on Sunday, and also climbed to top of the IPL 2025 points table. On Sunday, the Rajat Patidar-led side defeated Rishabh Pant's DC, in New Delhi, winning by six wickets. Krunal Pandya was the star performer at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, as the all-rounder shone with both bat and ball with a match-winning performance.
Chasing 163 runs, RCB cruised to 165/4 in 18.3 overs courtesy of Krunal's unbeaten knock of 73* runs off 47 deliveries. The India international also smacked five fours and four sixes, maintaining a 155.32 strike rate. Meanwhile, he also returned with figures of 1/28 in the first innings, taking the wicket of ex-RCB skipper Faf du Plessis. Krunal was purchased for ₹5.75 Crores during the mega-auction last year, from a base price of ₹2 Crores.
Speaking after the match, Virat Kohli hailed Krunal's impact and revealed that the entire team was waiting for such a performance from the all-rounder. 'Whenever there is a chase on I keep checking with the dugout if we are on course, what is my role etc. Krunal.. today was his day. We were waiting for him to come into the tournament with the bat. Who are the bowlers to target', he said.
'I try and ensure I don't stop my singles and doubles and combine with the occasional boundary. This year you can't just come out and hit, you have to assess, understand the conditions and then plan accordingly. We have communicated beautifully as a team in the batting and that's the reason we have 7 wins out of 10.
'It's looking good for us. We have Romario (Shepherd) after Tim (David) as well for extra added power. That firepower at the back end definitely helps. Hazlewood and Bhuvi are world class bowlers. There's a reason why he has the Purple Cap on his head. Krunal bowled well too. Don't forget that Suyash can be the dark horse as well. He may not have got the wickets but he has been good,' he added.
Kohli is also the current Orange Cap leader with 443 runs in 10 matches, ahead of second-placed Suryakumar Yadav (427 runs). Meanwhile, RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood has climbed to top of the Purple Cap race with 18 wickets in 10 matches.
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