“Just one Pandya was meant to win”: Krunal after beating MI

Hardik Pandya’s leadership as captain of Mumbai Indians (MI) has marred with difficulties in IPL 2025. Despite his return to the team in a controversial transfer last year and the comeback of star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, MI continues to grapple with poor form, as the latest one came against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). It was Krunal Pandya who saved the match for RCB in the final over after taking 3 wickets.

Krunal’s sympathy for Hardik

Krunal Pandya expressed empathy for his brother Hardik’s.“The bond that we (Hardik and I) have, we knew there was only one Pandya that was supposed to win, the love and affection we have for each other is very natural. He (Hardik) batted really well and I feel for him, but we (our team) won and that is most important. When I came onto bowl, Santner was batting and leg side was shorter and the amount of games I played here in the last 10 years, at some point the experience had to come in. As a bowler, sometimes you want to commit and it is important to commit 100 percent and it helps in execution.” he said.

The match highlights

Facing off at Wankhede Stadium, RCB achieved a total of 221/5, which had impressive performances from Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Jitesh Sharma. MI’s chase saw them falter early, with big dismissals of Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, and Ryan Rickelton. Even, Will Jacks also fell to Krunal Pandya’s bowling.

Hope flickered for MI as Tilak Varma and captain Hardik Pandya set up an explosive partnership. Both players launched a counter-attack, with Tilak scoring a brisk half-century while Hardik smashed boundaries and sixes to keep MI’s hopes alive.

Turning point and RCB’s victory

Despite MI’s rally, the turning point came when Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a slow ball that led to Tilak’s dismissal. Subsequently, Hardik was removed by Josh Hazlewood, leaving MI needing 19 runs in the final over. Krunal Pandya’s decisive bowling in the last over sealed RCB’s win, as he took crucial wickets to end the match at 203/6 for MI.

As MI struggles continue, the match highlighted both the competitive spirit between the Pandya brothers and the challenges faced by Hardik Pandya as MI captain. Despite coming close, MI’s form needs a turnaround to improve their standing in IPL 2025.