All-rounder Krunal Pandya stepped up in the run chase against his former franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) after Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Rajat Patidar were dismissed cheaply. Krunal scored 73 runs from 46 balls, keeping RCB in the game on a double-paced pitch. After his match-winning knock, Krunal got emotional as he was asked about how he feels playing against familiar faces at a franchise where he made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut and played six seasons. He called MI’s current batting coach, Kieron Pollard, his big brother. He also recalled how the Pandya brothers and Pollard used to win matches for MI with performances in all departments of the game.
“Polly (Kieron Pollard) is my big brother, right? I mean, I had my best six years in MI. I remember with the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard were the engine room. We won a lot of games with bat, ball and fielding. I still remember in 2021 when we were playing our last game, we hold three of us, we hold each other's hand and we felt like, okay this is the last time we'll be able to play together and yeah, it was obviously an emotional moment again, but I love Kieron Pollard,” Krunal said after RCB’s thrilling last-ball win.
Krunal's voice started to crack up as he reminisced about the MI days. He went all to call Pollard one of the greatest of all times in the T20 format. He also revealed what the former West Indies captain used to tell him.
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“I mean, he's a terrific human being, GOAT of this format, won so many trophies, so many games. And yeah, as they say, you're right, Polly always used to tell me that you can't keep a good man down,” said the all-rounder.
Krunal’s 3rd IPL fifty leads RCB to top of the table
In the run chase of 167, Krunal battled with cramps. He often needed medical attention on the ground. From 46 deliveries, he scored 73 runs, including four fours and five sixes. It was his IPL career's third half-century and second at RCB. The win helped RCB climb to the top of the points table.