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Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya opened up about Virat Kohli and the stalwart’s recent struggles in IPL 2026. Although RCB are on top of the points table, Kohli has made ducks in the last two matches.
After their thrilling last-ball win against the Mumbai Indians in Raipur on Sunday, RCB are now on top of the points table in IPL 2026 by virtue of having the best net run rate in the league.
Mumbai Indians eliminated after last-ball loss to RCB
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur turned out to be a tricky surface that was definitely more helpful for the bowlers than the batters.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made excellent use of the swing on offer to take three wickets in the powerplay itself, including MI skipper Suryakumar Yadav for a golden duck. Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir arrested the slide in the middle overs, but it simply wasn’t a wicket for 200-plus totals.
Dhir made 47, and Bhuvneshwar dismissed Varma for 57 as the Mumbai Indians scored just 166 in their 20 overs. At least by modern T20 standards, a target like that wouldn’t cause trouble for many teams.
Deepak Chahar dismissed Virat Kohli for a first-ball duck in the chase and soon sent Devdutt Padikkal packing. RCB were three down in the powerplay once Corbin Bosch also got the wicket of RCB captain Rajat Patidar.
Krunal Pandya and Jacob Bethell put up a partnership of 55 until Bosch dismissed the latter. Jitesh Sharma played a quick cameo, but Bosch got both him and Tim David off successive deliveries.
Krunal Pandya held through the collapse, fighting through cramps and being hit on the ribs. With RCB needing 30 runs in the last 3 overs, Pandya survived a few scares. Taking on AM Ghazanfar, Pandya survived a dropped catch to hit two sixes in the over until he was dismissed on the last ball of the over for 73.
Jasprit Bumrah’s 3-run 19th over gave the inexperienced Raj Bawa 16 runs to defend in the last over. The first two balls went for 5 runs courtesy three wides and a no-ball. Even though Romario Shepherd holed out off the third ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar saved the day with the bat.
With 9 runs needed off 3 balls, ‘Bhuvi’ hit a six over cover. He and Rasikh Dar eventually scampered home for the last 3 runs in 2 balls to officially eliminate the Mumbai Indians.
“Champions like Virat Kohli will always bounce back stronger” – Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya, who top-scored with the bat in the match, spoke after the match during the post-match press conference. He was asked whether there were any concerns about Virat Kohli’s form after the RCB stalwart made two ducks in a row in IPL 2026.
“Virat Kohli is a champion player. If he doesn’t score runs in two games, then I get very excited, because I know Virat Kohli will come back,” he said. “There is a lot of hunger within Virat Kohli; he is a different beast. None of us is ever concerned about him; everyone knows what he is.”
“I am pretty sure that Virat Kohli will do Virat Kohli things again. There is no doubt about it,” he concluded.
Krunal Pandya in IPL 2026
Apart from his heroics with the bat against the Mumbai Indians, Pandya has been a valuable asset with the ball as well for RCB in IPL 2026.
With 10 wickets in 11 matches, Pandya is RCB’s joint-second highest wicket-taker this year. He has delivered his overs at an average of 29.6 and an economy rate of 8.7
With the bat, Pandya has made one fifty – the 73 against MI – and has a total of 141 runs in 6 innings. He is also averaging 35.25 with the bat at a strike rate of 150.
Krunal Pandya is also one of only two players to complete the double of 100 runs and 10 wickets in IPL 2026, with the other being Jamie Overton.
