'Only one Pandya that was supposed to win' - Krunal Pandya opines on RCB's thumping win over MI at Wankhede

Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off a memorable 12-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Monday evening. The game went down to the final over, and it was Krunal Pandya who kept his cool till the very end to seal the deal for RCB, scripting a brilliant comeback and ending RCB’s decade-long drought at the venue. 

The left-arm all-rounder was given the responsibility to defend 19 runs in the last six deliveries, successfully made sure to get his line and lengths right, and restricted the MI batters. In the process, he picked three wickets in the over, in the form of Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, and Naman Dhir, finishing with 4/45, his best IPL figures. After the game, when asked about defeating his brother Hardik Pandya's team, the 34-year-old mentioned that only one member from the family was supposed to be on the winning side. 

"The bond that we (Hardik and I) have, we knew there was only one Pandya that was supposed to win, the love and affection we have for each other is very natural. He (Hardik) batted really well and I feel for him, but we (our team) won and that is most important," he said in the post-match interview.

Rajat has been terrific in the way he has started: Krunal Pandya

Hardik's captaincy has been laced with controversy and inconsistency. Even with the return of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, MI failed to turn things around. On the other hand, Krunal, donning the RCB colors this season, has been excelling under Andy Flower’s stewardship, contributing both with the ball.

"Andy (Flower) and I were there for 2 years in LSG, and it was good to know Andy from personal space and the way we are going as a team, we are in a very good head space," he added.

Meanwhile, the visiting team put up an over-par total of 221/5 after being asked to bat first. Virat Kohli (67 off 42) and Devdutt Padikkal (37 off 22) gave them a flying start in the PowerPlay. Rajat Patidar (64 off 32) and Jitesh Sharma (40* off 19) ensured the team crossed the 200-run mark, hammering 70 runs in the last five overs.

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MI’s chase started steadily. From being 54/2 at the end of the PowerPlay, they struggled through the middle overs despite Hardik’s quick 42 and Tilak Varma’s 56. The momentum shifted when Hardik smashed Hazlewood for 22 runs in an over and followed it with two sixes off Krunal. But just when MI looked set to pull off a stunning win, Krunal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Josh Hazlewood displayed their bowling brilliance.

"When I came onto bowl, Santner was batting and the leg side was shorter and the amount of games I played here in the last 10 years, at some point, the experience had to come in. As a bowler, sometimes you want to commit and it is important to commit 100 percent and it helps in execution. Rajat has been terrific in the way he has started and he gives you the confidence and backs your game plan as well. He is very calm and does not complicate things. Jitesh has been terrific, he has improved his game and the game awareness he has while batting is top-notch. With the gloves he has always been exceptional. I just want to keep my head down and keep winning," Krunal concluded.

Notably, RCB now head home to face Delhi Capitals on April 10, while MI will have some time to regroup before their own clash against DC on April 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.