IPL 2025 Final: Krunal Pandya’s match-winning spell of 2/17 powers Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to maiden title.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) head coach, Andy Flower, precisely addressed that they wanted Krunal Pandya for his temperament, experience, and exposure in big games. Flower hardly knew that the left-arm spinner would repay them with their maiden IPL title.
From his brilliance in the opening fixture against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the final against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Krunal maintained his excellence. Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar’s statement of ‘always look for KP whenever (you) feel the pressure’ substantiates the claim. The Baroda spinner is now one of the eight players to have won a minimum of four IPL titles, albeit silently.
Krunal Pandya foxes PBKS batters with self-made ability
Not many believed Krunal Pandya to become the first to win multiple Player-of-the-Match awards in the IPL finals. Among those who have bowled at least 25 overs this season, the Baroda spinner has the seventh-best economy rate of 8.23. He also made his presence among the highest wicket-takers of the edition with 17 scalps.
The final was a perfect example of how the senior Pandya has increased his value among the champion sides. When RCB finished with 190 runs, the lowest first-inning score at Ahmedabad this year, the bowlers had a difficult task on their hands. Punjab was confident after chasing 204 against the Mumbai Indians two nights ago at the same venue.
When a team defends a required run rate of nearly 10, a bowler, going at run-a-ball, makes a huge impact. It just decreases the pressure on the other bowlers. Krunal was far better than that, with masterful figures of 2/17 in four overs.
Patidar threw the ball to the 34-year-old when the Shreyas Iyer-led side made a decent start of 52/1 in the powerplay. Only three singles came in the first over of the left-arm spinner.
In the second over, he displayed his smartness. After 26 runs in 21 balls, a struggling Prabhsimran Singh looked to break the jail, stepping out of his ground. Krunal saw it till the end and bowled his slowest ball of the evening. The delivery, bowled at 81.49 kmph, turned a little to go out of the PBKS opener’s reach to end in the hands of the backward point fielder.
His only short ball of the evening was dispatched into the stands for a six by Josh Inglis. He quickly learned from his mistake and went the other route against the Australia batter. The veteran fired a 100 kmph-plus delivery and cramped the right-handed batter for room.
Inglis advanced straight down the ground to find Liam Livingstone just inches before the cushion. Bengaluru’s celebration and the roar among the fans just show how vital the wicket was to turn the game. Pandya was disappointed after he failed to stop the single on the last delivery of his spell. That was the level of intent from his side.
Read More: IPL 2025, Final, RCB vs PBKS: Bengaluru break the IPL code in 18th attempt, emerge as champions
Rising to the occasion 🫡
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Krunal Pandya spins the game #RCB's way with a magnificent spell 🪄
Drop a word to describe that performance 👇
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Krunal Pandya shoulders RCB’s spin department in IPL 2025
Coming into the 18th season of the league, the ‘Play Bold’ army didn’t have a strong spin department. The pressure was incredible on Krunal Pandya’s experience.
He finished the event as the third-leading wicket-taker (12 scalps) in the overs between 7 to 15. The economy rate of 7.75 is fabulous in this modern generation and has also helped in decreasing pressure on the other bowlers.
Krunal stays in his zone and doesn’t look to emulate the other spinners much. The Gujarat-born doesn’t look to turn the ball big or doesn’t have the action to drift it. Meanwhile, he has the mystery and a brilliant idea of the suitable lengths on various pitches. On different grounds, he understands the right line and length to pitch the ball.
The left-arm spinner also has the ideal pace for the shortest format. Once the combination of pace and length comes into the picture, the batters hardly have any answer to it.
Since the batters can’t play many sweeps against Krunal, they have to rely a lot on other options. Either the batters need to wait for the bad balls to go deep into the crease or dance down the track. However, to do that against Krunal’s fiery pace is another challenge.
He has displayed all his skills in the big games in the most competitive T20 league in the world. And, by doing it for RCB in the final, he has written his name in the history books.
Read More: IPL 2025, Qualifier 1, PBKS vs RCB: Bengaluru reach fourth final, Punjab need to do soul-searching
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