Krunal Pandya, the Indian and RCB all-rounder, addressed the oversight of his batting skills and reaffirmed his determination to don the national colours again, having not played an international match in almost five years. He made these comments in a preview of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) podcast. In the IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Krunal was awarded ‘Player of the Match’ for his brilliant spell of 2/17, which helped RCB secure their first-ever IPL championship.

During the last edition of the competition, Krunal Pandya was RCB’s second-best bowler in terms of wickets, following Josh Hazlewood (22 wickets).

The all-rounder took 17 wickets across 15 matches, maintaining a solid average of 22.29. His most memorable performance came against his former side, Mumbai Indians (MI), where he picked up four wickets in a single innings.

Although Krunal’s contributions with the bat were somewhat limited, his unbeaten 73 against Delhi Capitals (DC) stood out as one of the defining moments of RCB’s campaign. Chasing 163, RCB was struggling at 26/3, but Krunal’s knock proved to be a crucial highlight and offered a rare insight into his batting potential.

Over the years, his bowling has generally been his stronger suit, especially in the IPL. Prior to this, his first-ever half-century came in his debut season in 2016, when he blasted 86 off just 37 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC).

In the podcast teaser, Krunal discussed how he has been labeled with different roles each season.

He also reflected on his crucial 119-run partnership in the match against Delhi Capitals (DC), which helped maintain RCB’s unbeaten streak away from home.

“Every season, I’ve been labelled differently. Initially, I was considered a bowling all-rounder. Then, in some places, I was seen as a batting all-rounder. Batting is really close to my heart, there’s no doubt about that. And of course, the moment against Delhi, when I went out to bat after not having batted in the tournament, and we were at 20 for 3 in the fifth over, to come out and win the game from there on a tricky wicket, that was really special.

I’m close to 2,000 runs, but people often forget about my batting.”

Krunal Pandya has scored 1,756 runs in 118 innings across his IPL career, averaging 22.22 and maintaining a strike rate of more than 132. He has two half-centuries to his name, with a top score of 86. His most prolific season with the bat came in 2016, where he accumulated 237 runs in nine innings at an impressive average of 39.50 and a strike rate surpassing 191.

“At the end of the day, nothing compares to playing for your country. In the time I did play, I performed well in the T20 and One-Day games, but ultimately, there’s no greater feeling than representing your country.

The goal is still the same – to represent my country,” he added.

Krunal feels he’s in a stronger position now, having gained a better grasp of the game.

“Therefore, there’s no limit to what can happen, and anything is possible at any given moment,” he concluded.

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