admin
The Indian Premier League is the most competitive T20 league going around. With every passing season, the competition gets tougher, as new players enter the mix and push established players to evolve their skills to survive in this tournament constantly. Over the years, the format has increasingly become a six-hitting fest, with flat pitches and the introduction of the Impact Player adding more depth to batting lineups. This has made it harder for bowlers to settle in and even more challenging to execute their strategies.
It is evident that even experienced players, despite competing at this highest level for over a decade, now have to rely more on adaptability and intent rather than strictly following pre-decided plans. The 35-year-old Krunal Pandya from Royal Challengers Bengaluru is one such example, having shown resilience and adaptability this season by adding bouncers to his skillset despite being a left-arm spinner. One would be shocked to know that out of all bowlers, Krunal has bowled the most number of bouncers in the IPL 2026 season so far
Krunal, who played a key role for RCB in IPL 2025, finished the season with 17 wickets, including a crucial Player of the Match performance against Punjab Kings, where he registered figures of 2/17 in a nerve-breaking final. He went on to be part of a championship-winning campaign, but despite the success and even his evolving hairstyle this season, Krunal continues to rely on his skillset and mindset to remain relevant in a format with very little margin for error.
“As a bowler, I always want to be one step ahead with the skill set as well as with the mental battle. It (variation) has just purely come from that. Whether it is me bending my knee and bowling that ball or a bouncer. I am glad that it is coming out well and hope that in this format, there are finger spinners who will survive and who can take something out of it and do well in this format. Because, for a finger spinner with flat tracks, eight batters, it has become very difficult. I am glad that I have been able to contribute in a nice way,” said Krunal.
The competitive edge
His performance came at a pivotal moment for RCB, as his figures of 1/26 in 4 overs helped his side secure an 18-run win against an experienced Mumbai Indians side led by his brother Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede Stadium. Krunal backed his variation with an aggressive bouncer, surprising Hardik on the last ball of the 9th over, when the Mumbai Indians were chasing a monumental 241. This highlighted the instinctive edge to his evolving game.
“I am someone who follows my gut. I don’t pre-plan that I want to bowl a fourth or fifth, or sixth ball, a bouncer. There are days when I will bowl two bouncers back-to-back, and suddenly I will bowl the first ball and the sixth ball. So, there are no such plans, but it is more of a gut feeling when to bowl which ball, and I just commit 100 per cent to that. I don’t practise that much, where I go and practise bowling bouncers. It is just that I actually bowl in the game. But yeah, I have been bowling consistently for a long period of time,” added Krunal.
Krunal’s success, despite his unorthodox approach, highlights how belief in one’s abilities can make the difference between surviving and succeeding in this batter-dominated format.
