As IPL 2025 approached, the BCCI hosted a felicitation programme honouring players who had appeared in every one of the tournament’s first 18 seasons. Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli were among those recognised with special mementos, but Manish Pandey’s name was conspicuous by its absence.
Pandey’s IPL journey has been packed with milestones: he became the first Indian batter to score a century in the league in 2009, and later earned Player of the Match honours in an IPL final in 2014—an edition that also featured one of the most memorable chase performances in a title match. He has lifted the IPL trophy twice, in 2014 and again in 2024. Yet, as the saying goes, absence can fade memory.
With more homegrown batting talent raising the bar in T20 cricket, Pandey gradually found himself in the role of a back-up for a back-up. At best, he became an insurance option in the impact-player era. Across 2024 and 2025, he appeared in only four matches.
That changed at the start of May in IPL 2026, when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) looked for a replacement for the out-of-form Ramandeep Singh. They turned to Pandey—someone who has often carried a certain “magic” when playing for the franchise.
However, KKR’s run after that decision was relentless: they won five of their next six games before Wednesday’s meeting against Mumbai Indians (MI). The momentum was so strong that Pandey never got a batting slot. Entering Wednesday, his record for the season’s first four appearances read DNB, DNB, DNB, DNB.
There were plenty of highlights in the field too. Pandey produced a sharp one-handed take at point to dismiss Tim David. He also completed a running catch—initially a difficult chance, but one he made look routine—to remove Nishant Sindhu. At the same time, he kept pressure on the opposition by preventing boundaries within the inner ring.
On Wednesday night, he added another moment: a calm catch off a delivery that seemed to drift down from the night sky, dismissing MI’s leading run-getter for the season, Ryan Rickelton.
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Sunil Narine delivered what felt like a defining spell, finishing with figures of 1 for 13 and staggering 15 dot balls. Varun Chakravarthy, nursing the after-effects of a hairline fracture to his toe, still bowled with purpose. Saurabh Dubey justified his selection, and Cameron Green also stepped up, with both picking up two wickets each during the powerplay.
With MI setting a target of 148 to chase, there was every reason to believe Pandey might again end up in the dugout wearing his pads without getting the chance to bat for a fifth straight game.
But KKR lost Finn Allen early, and Allen had been their second-most productive batter this season. Soon after, Angkrish Raghuvanshi—KKR’s top run-getter and typically their No. 3—was ruled out with a concussion. With those setbacks, Pandey walked out at No. 3. Then, as Ajinkya Rahane and Green were dismissed, KKR slipped to 54 for 3, and the sense of control over the must-win contest began to drain away.
Pandey steadied things. He top-scored for KKR with a composed knock of 45 off 33 balls.
It may have been the familiarity of a man who often shapes IPL chases, or perhaps the way he consistently solved the MI bowlers, but it was enough to tip Narine’s spell in Pandey’s favour for the Player of the Match award.
“KKR has been really nice and kind to me,” Pandey said during the trophy presentation. “This is the only game I’ve actually batted [this season], so I’ve been padded up and waiting to bat but didn’t get the opportunity the first four games. This was a special one. I wanted to stay there, make our team win, and that’s what happened.”
When Pandey faced his first ball, it was also the first time he had faced a delivery in T20 cricket since May 2025. The fact that his first four balls were all dots was understandable. Then came the release shot—an exquisite on-drive off Jasprit Bumrah that instantly brought back memories of the younger Pandey.
The confidence and timing with which he handled Bumrah underlined how strong Pandey has been against the bowler in IPL history. Before this match, the equation had read 80 runs in 42 balls with zero dismissals, and Pandey was only adding to that momentum. Soon, he was lofting Deepak Chahar over the top as well.
Against Hardik Pandya, Pandey struck one straight down the ground, then used the next ball to create space and cut through the point region. He also picked the right moments to outsmart spinner Raghu Sharma. By the end, he had only seven dot balls—remember, four of those dots came from his opening over—falling back on the same old principles: run hard, build partnerships (with Rovman Powell, who contributed a 64-run stand), and pace the chase.
Eventually, it took a Bumrah special to end his stay. The 15th-over delivery jagged back sharply through the gate. Yet there was a fitting coincidence: as Pandey made his way back to the dugout, he did so to applause. Because of the rain delay, by the time he was dismissed the calendar had moved on to May 21—the anniversary of his unforgettable IPL century from 2009.
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When Pandey’s name was left out of last season’s 18-year celebrations, it would have stung. Still, he did not make a fuss. That’s been his approach for years—quiet, composed, and never overly dramatic. Search for almost any cricketer on YouTube and you’ll find them popping up on podcasts, but Pandey has none.
Today, he plays far less top-level cricket. He has been left out of Karnataka’s squad and competes mainly for Mysuru Tigers in the Maharaja T20 tournament. With fewer IPL chances due to a widening group of fast-rising young Indian batters—and little realistic pathway back into the India setup—Pandey could have slipped quietly into the category of “legends.” Instead, he has kept going.
At 36, his goals are simple: “help around younger players who want to ask” him questions, and continue to field with quality.
“It doesn’t matter, if it’s raining or it’s a sunny day, [I train on my fielding],” Pandey said, holding his match award. “Because I don’t bowl [I want to contribute in some manner]. I enjoy fielding, and I want to contribute even from a single-saving point of view, or by taking brilliant catches. So that’s been my forte – I’d like to contribute that way, and I want all the cricket balls to come to me when I’m fielding.
“It gives me great pride to add value to the team in any sense I can. And that’s what keeps me going.”
That mindset, KKR captain Rahane said, is what made the dressing room feel “each and every team member happy for Pandey” on Wednesday after his long-overdue innings. “Really happy for Manish Pandey,” Rahane said. “His work ethic, his attitude when he was not playing, it was fantastic.
“It’s really tough as a player when you’re not playing a game. And to come in day in, day out, keep working hard on your batting, on your fielding, that attitude and team mindset, that’s what is really important.”
Pandey’s effort on Wednesday night may not land among the greatest chapters of his career—the numbers are too modest for that. But this was never about chasing greatness. It was about endurance, elegance, and an older hero finding one more night under the lights. In a competition that constantly looks forward, it served as a gentle reminder not to forget the players who helped shape its past.
