In IPL 2026, where innings are often defined by quick boundaries and relentless pace, Krunal Pandya’s knock at Raipur on Sunday stood out as something different. While wickets elsewhere have stayed flat and scoring has come easily, the Raipur surface offered a few more angles, and the boundary size only added to the challenge—especially in a chase that demanded both timing and courage.
Raipur chase: how the momentum swung
- RCB set out to chase 167 against Mumbai Indians, and the early setback kept the pressure high as key batters—Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and captain Rajat Patidar—were back in the pavilion within the first six overs.
- On a pitch that played with extra movement at a double-paced tempo, Deepak Chahar and Corbin Bosch struck early, dismantling RCB’s top order and forcing the chase to be rebuilt.
- At number four, Krunal Pandya arrived with Jacob Bethell at the other end, and attention naturally shifted to Bethell as well—coming off a T20 World Cup where he had produced a memorable century against eventual champions India.
- With RCB reeling at 39/3, Krunal seized the initiative right away—finding Bosch down the off side for a couple, then immediately following it with a leg-side pull for six. The timing was notable given Patidar had just been punished by a short delivery earlier in the same over.
- From there, Krunal avoided reckless chasing of the ball but still ensured the scoreboard kept moving, picking off odd boundaries while Bethell struggled to settle.
- The fourth-wicket partnership of 55 runs helped RCB regain a foothold in the chase and shift the pressure back onto the bowlers.
- After Bethell’s exit, Jitesh Sharma made some useful contributions, and with Tim David also departing, RCB still required 36 runs off 24 balls—an equation that left the contest wide open.
- In the 17th over, Chahar struck Krunal with a bouncer, and the impact triggered a cramp. Despite the pain, Krunal continued, recognising he wouldn’t be able to last long in the middle.
- Allah Gazanfar was handed the 18th over, and even while clearly struggling, Krunal went for the moment—smashing two sixes before finally being dismissed off the last ball of the innings.
- When Krunal departed, his knock had reached 73 runs off 47 balls, supported by four fours and five sixes.
- Although Krunal had done the heavy lifting, the match remained tense until the end, and it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who swung the finish—hitting a maximum over covers to keep RCB from slipping into defeat at Raipur.
That finish would not have been possible without Krunal’s innings. For young batters searching for a T20 blueprint—how to absorb pressure, choose the right moments, and still accelerate decisively—Sunday night at Raipur offered a complete lesson. The IPL’s return to the city after a decade only made the impact of his knock bigger, turning his effort into a genuine homecoming story.
