Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who was an integral part of the franchise’s Indian Premier League title win last season, talked about various different things, from his game pla
Published: May 7, 2026 2:45 PM IST
Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who was an integral part of the franchise’s Indian Premier League title win last season, talked about various different things, from his game plan against big batters in smaller grounds to what is it like being a defending champion in the richest T20 league of the world. Pandya sat down for this candid chat ahead of RCB’s 10th IPL 2026 fixture against the Lucknow Super Giants away at the Ekana Stadium.
Highlights
- The left-hand all-rounder believes that if he is able to bowl his best delivery, then no batter in the world will be even able to hit the ball 30 yards away. He also stated that bowlers are often stuck worrying about getting hit 60-80 meters away. According to him, this creates a negative space in a bowler’s head
Bengaluru are currently 3rd in the points table with 12 points after 9 games and tonight, they have a chance to take up the 1st or 2nd spot, depending on how big of a victory they can seal against Rishabh Pant’s bottom-sided Lucknow.
RCB know that they are just a few wins away from securing play-offs qualification and the defending champions will be hoping to bounce back tonight following the narrow 4-wicket loss they suffered against the Gujarat Titans in their previous outing.
Krunal was invited as the special guest of JioStar’s IPL show named “Superstars”. Therein, he was asked to reflect on various different aspects of the game and the first question was about how teams handle the pressure of being the defending champions.
Having won the IPL title on multiple occasions with the Mumbai Indians, Krunal Pandya responded like a true champion, stating that it’s the pressure situations that get him going.
“It’s a very good place to be, knowing that we are defending champions. Pressure is always there when you play at the highest level, regardless of whether you are defending champions or not. I always believe that as an athlete, I try to prepare myself for tough situations. Whenever there is extra pressure or a need to perform, that gets me going as an individual.” – Pandya said in JioStar’s Superstars show.
Focus on bowling his best ball
When asked about what he does in order to avoid getting hit for a six in smaller grounds like Wankhede and Chinnaswamy, Krunal said that it’s just a matter of bowling his best ball.
The left-hand all-rounder believes that if he is able to bowl his best delivery, then no batter in the world will be even able to hit the ball 30 yards away. He also stated that bowlers are often stuck worrying about getting hit 60-80 meters away. According to him, this creates a negative space in a bowler’s head.
“On grounds like Wankhede or Chinnaswamy, especially Chinnaswamy, the boundaries are small. So, I tell myself that if I bowl a bad ball, it will go for a six, whether it is 80 meters or 50 or 60 meters. Sometimes that creates a negative thought when the boundary is small. So, I take the boundary size out of my mind. I know that if I bowl a good ball, the batter won’t be able to hit it even 30 yards. So, I think that way: if I bowl my best ball, they won’t be able to hit me even on a small ground.” – Krunal concluded.
LSG Vs RCB, IPL 2026 Squads
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Venkatesh Iyer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Jacob Duffy, Swapnil Singh, Philip Salt, Nuwan Thushara, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal.
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (WK/C), Aiden Markram, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Himmat Singh, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mayank Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Mukul Choudhary, George Linde, Anrich Nortje, Matthew Breetzke, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Maharaj Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari.
