Follow UsPerennially known to underperform, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the past have always looked like serious contenders, but in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, they are looking threatening despite no buzz or expectations from them.
It may have started with them moving away from the superstar culture, with Rajat Patidar handed over the captaincy, and that rubbed off well on the rest of the team as well. They are in pole position to make the playoffs, and unlike the previous seasons, they have barely broken a sweat to reach where they are at the moment.
Their buys in the auction too were smart ones, be it Josh Hazlewood for INR 12.5 crore or Tim David for just INR 3 crore. However, the acquisition of Krunal Pandya for INR 5.75 crore is proving to be the shrewdest of them all.
For starters, we are just 10-11 matches (per side) into the IPL 2025, and Krunal has already had his BEST season with the ball. He has 13 wickets at 21.2 and an economy of 8.6. Moreover, he picked four wickets in a match for the first time in IPL - his 10th season in the tournament - against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a high-scoring encounter at the Wankhede.
Be it with MI or Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Krunal has always played second fiddle when it comes to his left-arm spin. He has always been considered more of a defensive bowler, but that's not the case this time around, as he is proving to be RCB's primary spinner, with Suyash Sharma doing the dirty work of holding one end up.
Krunal has bowled over 33% of his deliveries on the wickets, indicating his attacking mindset.
Moreover, he has also brought his ability to bowl bouncers to good effect. An insane 47% of his deliveries this season have been short (6m+), which has fetched him as many as eight wickets. No other spinner would dare to bowl a bouncer to a batter, let alone pick up wickets with them, and that's what makes Krunal unique - his ability to innovate and do so at such a high success rate.
Most wickets in a season (✔)
Best bowling figures in IPL (✔)
What about his batting?
Krunal has barely had a chance to bat, which is a testament to how the RCB top-order has been doing this season. But when he got a proper chance, he made it count.
Walking in at five in the powerplay against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Delhi, RCB were in deep trouble at 26/3 in four overs, in pursuit of 163 on a tricky surface. It was down to someone to stick around with Virat Kohli, who has been RCB's backbone season after season.
Before this game, Krunal had walked in inside the powerplay on 16 occasions in the IPL, and out of those, his side had tasted victory just four times. Safe to say, if Krunal came out to bat in the powerplay, more often than not, the team's chances of victory would deplete considerably.
It was important to absorb the pressure, and that is what Krunal did. He scored just two from his eight balls in the powerplay. From there on, he unleashed an array of shots and eventually finished with 73* off 47—his first fifty since his debut season in 2016.
There is a drastic contrast in his batting. He was much more prolific in his first three seasons compared to what followed after that. At MI, he built a niche for himself with the bat - someone who can bludgeon the bowling at six or seven - and when it came to finishing games, he formed a deadly trio with his brother Hardik and Kieron Pollard.
But since then, his bowling has become more prominent, and his batting has fallen off the radar, barring a few cameos.
Is Krunal a bargain? Early indications are that he is. He is one piece of a very talented puzzle in the RCB side, which did not induce much confidence ahead of the campaign. But as the matches have rolled on, they seem to be among the strongest RCB teams.
Krunal has won his side's matches with the ball and bat in his limited time at RCB. Not many have had the sort of impact he has had in such a short time. The 34-year-old has certainly gone about his business quietly and quite efficiently, which could make this a memorable season for him and RCB.