Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya, a cricketer who reflects the nature of modern cricket, is one of the key players for Baroda, India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Just like his brother Hardik Pandya, Krunal used the IPL as a platform for higher honors. A hard-hitting middle-order batter, Krunal is also a quick left-arm spinner whose bowling style suits T20 cricket. 

While Krunal isn’t a traditional left-arm spinner who will use flight and turn to outfox the batters, he has become a tough bowler to the line-up because of the quick pace he delivers. Krunal also finds the blockhole with admirable regularity and also bowls very wide of the off-stump to restrict batters according to different situations. 

The Pandya family had a humble background, with the family relocating from Surat to Vadodara so that the brothers could join the Kiran More Academy. Although Krunal had made his T20 debut way back in 2013 and had decent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaigns in both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, the year 2016 could be termed as the turning point in his career. The Mumbai Indians’ scouts spotted him and eventually, the franchise bought the spinning all-rounder for INR 2 Crores. 

The all-rounder did well right away with 237 runs and six wickets from 12 matches, with a stunning 86-run knock off just 37 balls being the highlight of his season. The confidence from performing at a high level was visible as Krunal led the charts for Baroda in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy with 366 runs and 11 wickets from eight matches. 

He then produced a fine all-round campaign for MI with 243 runs and 10 wickets in the 2017 IPL season, which Mumbai won by defeating Rising Pune Supergiant in a thrilling final. In fact, in the final, Krunal came up with a ‘Man of the Match’ outing by scoring 47 runs in what was a low-scoring game. 

Soon, the Indian selectors noticed him and he was on the plane to South Africa with India A for a tri-series which also involved Afghanistan A. 

The consistency in performances was rewarded superbly as Mumbai Indians bought Krunal back for a massive INR 8.8 Crores in the 2018 IPL auctions. Since then, the southpaw has been a reliable performer for the franchise, before switching his base to Lucknow ahead of IPL 2023. 

Krunal made an instant impact in his first ODI match for India in March 2021 against England, smashing an unbeaten 58 off 31 balls—the fastest fifty by an ODI debutant—showcasing his potential in the 50-over format. He even played a couple of T20Is, with an impactful performance against Australia Down Under. Despite this, his international appearances have tapered off, with his last game for India coming in July 2021. 

However, his domestic and IPL performances have kept him relevant. After six successful seasons with Mumbai Indians, where he contributed to title wins in 2019 and 2020—the latter sealed with him hitting the winning runs against Delhi Capitals—Krunal moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022 for INR 8.25 Crores.

At LSG, he played a key role in their playoff runs in 2022 and 2023, even captaining the side in KL Rahul’s absence during IPL 2023. His three-year stint with LSG ended ahead of the 2025 season, and in the IPL 2025 auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) picked him up for INR 5.75 Crores. 

Now 34, Krunal remains a vital all-round asset. While his international career has stalled, his experience and versatility make him a key figure for RCB as they chase their first IPL title. Off the field, Krunal’s life has blossomed—he married Pankhuri Sharma in 2017, and they welcomed their second son, Vayu, in April 2024, joining their first child, Kavir, born in 2022. With RCB in 2025, Krunal aims to blend his championship experience with his all-round skills to leave a lasting legacy.

(As of March 2025)