Krunal Pandya impressed on his debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the season-opening game of IPL 2025 against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Krunal came on to bowl at a difficult stage in the innings on a belter of a surface and came under some heavy fire from their new captain Ajinkya Rahane before having the last laugh.
Krunal plotted and executed Rahane’s dismissal perfectly – luring the ace batter with a quickish length ball; Rahane only managed to hit it down to Rasikh Salam at deep backward square leg. Next up, Krunal spooked KKR vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer with a bouncer, prompting him to call for a helmet.
Off the very next ball, Krunal upped his pace further and outfoxed Venkatesh with a quicker ball from around the wicket. Krunal finished with his spell with another big wicket – that of Rinku Singh, who looked off colour and and found Krunal’s accurate lengths impossible to navigate.
Krunal Panda was bought by RCB for Rs 5.75 crore after being released by Lucknow Super Giants. He made an immediate impact, picking 3 for 29 off 4 overs in a high-pressure tournament opener. Krunal Pandya formed the core of a freakishly successful Mumbai Indians side for years before a short stint with LSG.
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