Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya are among cricket’s most talked-about brother pairings, but questions about the closeness between them have surfaced in recent months. The speculation intensified after Krunal’s dramatic celebration of Hardik’s wicket during IPL 2026, a moment that led many to wonder if something had turned sour between the two. Soon after, Krunal moved to shut down the chatter by insisting that everything was “all okay” between them. Now, he has gone a step further, saying the brothers frequently discuss cricket and actively help each other improve.
“Obviously, we have played together. We have always discussed cricket in terms of tactical, technical stuff which always helps, right? When you have your brother also playing the same sport, or we are both in the same profession, it always helps each other in a way,” Krunal said in an interview with Times of India. He added, “So it has always been a good conversation, a very healthy conversation about cricket and how we can get better. And yeah, I mean, 10 trophies in the Pandya household is not a bad number to have. So yeah, God’s been kind.”
Krunal’s revival at RCB
Krunal has enjoyed a clear resurgence at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he has played a key role in the franchise securing back-to-back IPL titles in 2025 and 2026. Across those two seasons, Krunal finished with 31 wickets, while also contributing 335 runs lower down the order as a batter.
Hardik’s tough IPL 2026 with MI
Hardik, meanwhile, faced a frustrating IPL 2026 cycle. Mumbai Indians (MI), under his leadership, ended the tournament in ninth place out of 10 teams. His personal return was modest as well, with only 206 runs and four wickets in the recently completed season.
From MI together to titles on different paths
Hardik is two and a half years younger than Krunal. The brothers spent multiple seasons playing together for Mumbai Indians throughout the 2010s and into the early 2020s, winning several trophies along the way. Later, Hardik went on to lead Gujarat Titans (GT) to glory in their inaugural IPL campaign in 2022, while Krunal has since added two more championship titles with RCB.
