Hardik Pandya in tears after brother Krunal fulfils promise of adding 9th IPL trophy in 11 years to the Pandya household

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Amid the manic celebrations that broke out in the RCB camp, mostly revolving around an emotional Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya somehow got left out. The Player of the match, the game-changer, Krunal was bought by RCB for ₹5.75 crore. A former Mumbai Indians all-rounder, who knows what it's like to win the IPL – not once but on multiple occasions – Krunal brought all his experience into play and bowled the four overs that turned the match on its head. Krunal gave away just 17 runs and picked up two wickets – of the set duo of Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis. Krunal's two-wicket burst opened the gates for RCB to knock it down and get over the line by six runs.
Krunal's win isn't just his or RCB's. It's a win for the entire Pandya family, where there's no shortage of IPL-winning medals. Krunal's win added a ninth IPL medal (not trophy) to the Pandya household. Hardik Pandya has won the IPL four times with Mumbai Indians (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020) and once with Gujarat Titans (2022), taking the tally to five, whereas Krunal has won it thrice with MI (2017, 2019 and 2020), and now with RCB, extending it to nine.
"When I joined RCB, I told them that I love winning trophies. After three and a half months, glad that I was able to fulfil what I said on Day 1. I literally manifested it. It has been pretty good. 10 years, 4 IPL trophies. I told Hardik on the phone that in the Pandya household, there will be nine trophies in 11 years," Krunal told Ravi Shastri while collecting the Player-of-the-Match award.
Hardik Pandya and his Mumbai Indians unit endured a heartbreak, losing the Qualifier 2 to the Punjab Kings, which sent them packing. However, the captain did not get much time to dwell over the result, as Hardik was consumed by what his brother had achieved for himself, RCB and the family. On Instagram, Hardik wrote: "In tears right now. Proud of you bhai".
Ahmedabad had produced seven 200-plus totals this year, most of which were chased down. So when RCB posted 190/9, it appeared a below-par score. Even Matthew Hayden acknowledged it on air. And to be honest, for the most time, it appeared so too. PBKS were given a quick start by Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, putting on 43 inside the Powerplay. However, once the wickets started to fall, there was no coming back. Krunal used the sluggishness of the surface to great effect, mixing up taking the pace off the ball and firing some in.
"When we batted, we realised the slower you bowl the better it is. In this format, you need guts to do it. I just backed myself, thought I'll vary my pace and keep it on the slower side more often. My biggest strength has been to learn what the situation requires. I knew I had to be brave to get wickets tonight. Thought I'd do that by bowling slow. If you'd have bowled quick, it'd have been a good wicket. But if you mixed it up it was tougher. Pitch actually got easier in the second innings," he added.