‘Wanted To be One Step Ahead’ – Krunal Pandya Reflects After a Superb Bowling Performance Against Mumbai

Krunal Pandya delivered a special bowling spell against Mumbai Indians in the recent IPL 2026 clash. Although he picked up just one wicket, his quota of four overs was very economical in which he gave away just 26 runs.

Speaking after the match, Krunal Pandya said that he wanted to be one step ahead of the batters, as that allowed him to keep the batters guessing before every ball.

"I just wanted to be one step ahead and keep the batsman guessing and that worked for us. And yes, Suyash bowled really well. Taking those two wickets in [his] first over changed the momentum. And I always believe bowling is about partnerships. And we were able to do that for the team, which was quite satisfying," said Krunal Pandya after the match.

"He [Suyash] has been getting better. I'll give a lot of credit to Malolan [Rangarajan], who is our spin-bowling coach [and player identification manager]. He has been constantly working with Suyash in the off-season as well as during the season. He is always having conversations with him. And credit goes to Suyash that he has been able to adapt to things and he has been able to be consistent as a bowler, which always helps in a game where batters are taking you [on] every ball." added Krunal Pandya.

He then described the importance of mixing things up, saying it allows the bowlers to remain unpredictable in front of the batters.

"I have never shied away from trying different and new things.Because if you see, with the impact player rule, previously without an impact player, you had No. 6 allrounder or No. 7 allrounder. Batsmanship was quite different.” said Krunal Pandya.

“But now, having eight pure batters and the skill set [they have], you see young boys like Mukul [Choudhary] and Vaibhav [Sooryavanshi], so many of them are just coming and hitting from ball one consistently. So again, as a bowler, I always want to be one step ahead with the skill set as well as with the mental battle.” added Krunal Pandya.

Krunal was outstanding for RCB in the last season, during which he took 17 wickets at an economy rate of 8.24. He is looking forward to delivering a similar performance this year as well, so that RCB can retain the IPL title.