Krunal Pandya gives ‘Chin Music’ a modern remix. The left-arm spinner rushes out of the two-stage rally with a bouncer that climbs at nearly 120 km/h. It’s less of a novelty, more of a provocation. In a league designed for six-strikes, where even good balls disappear, Krunal reached for something older, riskier and oddly appropriate for the times: the short over.
It is quickly becoming a signature. As noted by Dinesh Karthik, it has the makings to become a trend. Batters know it’s coming; it didn’t make it any easier to play. He even played one for his brother Hardik.
So how could the left-arm spinner, a long throw as a holding option, end up troubling the hitters with a weapon that few in his field have attempted?
There was a moment in Krunal Pandya’s career when he felt the acute pain of a bowler in the modern Indian Premier League. As he stood on his mark, a distinct ‘wave’ hit him: wherever I throw, I get hit for a six. It was no hyperbolic foresight.
Since the introduction of the Impact Player rule in 2023, the scales have tipped heavily in Willow’s favor. Massive bats, shrinking boundaries and the tactical freedom afforded by extra batting have made the game a nightmare even for the elite.
It’s a war of attrition for the left hand. It’s a tactical conflict that often prohibits you from pouncing on the lefty, effectively halving your utility and goal odds.
This season, captains have instinctively protected their left-arm spinners, preferring part-time spinners to aggressive southpaws like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya. Krunal, standing on top of his mark, recalled his past: his time bowling on the dull wickets of his village, where the boundaries were even tighter than those in the IPL. It was in 2012-13 that Krunal first started experimenting with bouncers and wide yorkers as a survival tactic. What was born as a coping mechanism quickly evolved into a deadly weapon.
HARDIK PANDYA vs KRUNAL PANDYA DURING RCB vs MI.
– Check out Krunal Pandya’s reaction after he bowled that bouncer to Hardik – almost looks like there could be a rift between the two. pic.twitter.com/QgTVKKHwbH— Sam (@Cricsam01) April 13, 2026
However, in the IPL, these variations have largely been kept under wraps. He was pigeonholed as a defensive specialist with Mumbai Indians. His brief was simple: “Go hold and make life easy for your bowling partner.” It was a similar story at Lucknow Super Giants where he played second fiddle to the supposedly more ‘aggressive’ spinners.
A WEAPON FROM THE PAST
Krunal Pandya (PTI Photo)
But when he signed with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the story shifted.
When RCB assembled their squad for the 2025 mega auction, critics were quick to pounce, saying that Krunal and Suyash Sharma lacked the aggressive edge to lead the front-line attack. While Krunal was considered a conventional spinner, Suyash – despite being a wrist spinner – relied on googlies and turned the ball very little. They were definitely not the box office pairs of Jadeja-Ashwin or Kuldeep-Axar.
Yet in RCB, Krunal finally got the license to thrill.
At 35, he was experienced enough to handle it, but he knew he had to stay one step ahead in the mental chess game of T20 cricket. He went back to those old days on the mats, dusted off his forgotten weapons and brought them to the grandest stage of all.
“Many years ago I played mat cricket in my village, say 2012-13. So when you bowl conventional left-arm spin there, you get hit a lot. So this thought process and mindset came many years ago. That’s where I learned bouncers, wide yorkers and other variations,” Krunal told the press after RCB’s nine-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in New Delhi on Monday.
“But once I started playing in the IPL, my role was to contain. I was able to contain without adding new things. But in the last 2-3 years, the way batting has evolved with the Impact Player rule, you tend to think before you start batting where to bowl because you feel like they’re going to hit every ball you hit for a six.”
“So I added the bouncer. But I didn’t practice the bouncer in the nets because it takes a lot of effort to roll it into the nets. So I tried to stick to throwing the bouncer only in matches. But a lot depends on fitness,” he said.
THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY
The numbers certainly confirm the shift. Krunal has bowled left-arm batsmen more than any other left-arm spinner in the last two years, taking seven wickets in the process. This season his victims are Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shimron Hetmyer; the latter was dismissed by a stinging bouncer that took the West Indian star completely by surprise.
Unlike his counterparts, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar did not feel the need to hide the left-arm spinner from the southpaws. In fact, Krunal’s average against left-handers (22) is better than Ravindra Jadeja’s (25.2) and rivals Axar Patel’s average (19) over the last two seasons.
But it’s not just about the short ball. Krunal perfected the hanging delivery from a low shoulder trajectory and nailed wide yorkers with surgical precision.
“I had a very good season with RCB last year. I was just thinking about what I can add to my game to be one step ahead of the batsman in the mental game. That’s why I introduced the bouncer. Along with the bouncer, I pass the batsman with the lower shoulder trajectory,” he noted.
“Bowling bouncer for a spinner is not easy and a lot depends on how fit you are. Because running a few paces and then generating that kind of pace for a spinner is not easy. But my action suits it and I wasn’t afraid to try new things. I take it as a challenge.
“There’s also a lot of talk in the IPL about back-to-back matches, especially when it comes to bowling left-arm against left-handed batsmen. So I took it as a challenge to see how far it goes. It’s worked well so far.”
Krunal adds with a trademark smirk that several others are now trying to replicate his plan. He credits RCB spin-bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan for giving him the creative freedom to execute these ideas. After years of being a defensive cog, Krunal is relishing the chance to go for the jugular.
In IPL 2025, when RCB finally ended their 18-year wait to lift the trophy, Krunal took 17 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 22.29. In the previous year with Lucknow, he was more economical (7.72) but managed only six wickets at an average of 42.50. This year, with 9 wickets already at an economy of 8.85, he is proving that neither he – nor his team – are afraid of the occasional boundary if it leads to a breakthrough.
KRUNAL’S LEFT HANDED VICTIMS FROM IPL 2025
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
2. Shimron Hetmyer
3. Nitska Rana
4. Priyansh Arya
5. Mitchell Santner
6. Rinku Singh
7. Venkatesh Iyer
“A lot of credit should also go to our spin bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan. Because when I came to RCB, my role changed. I had the freedom to go for the wickets, the freedom to experiment. The confidence was there. That really helps. If your coach supports you and gives you confidence, it helps 100 per cent,” he said.
“I’ve come to like that responsibility of going for wickets and trying my new stuff. I’m not a bowler just to look cool, there’s a lot of logic and reasoning behind it. So there are healthy discussions in the camp. Malo deserves a lot of credit for letting me be myself.”
THE BODY SUPPORTING THE BRAIN
Krunal said he loves his role as an attack spinner for RCB (PTI Photo)
Can the 35-year-old really reinvent himself at this twilight stage of his career? The answer lies in Krunal’s unwavering confidence in his physical fitness. For the mind to imagine, the body must be able to execute.
He may not share his brother’s penchant for viral shirtless workouts, but Krunal’s wiry frame is built for shredding, not grams.
“I’ve always prioritized fitness because when you’re young, your body recovers well, it listens to you. But after a certain period of time, food and fitness become very integral to an athlete,” he said.
“Sometimes when you think about developing or adding new things to your skills, you can plan it mentally, but if you’re not fit, your body won’t let you. Fitness helps your body adapt to changes or new things. So I focused on fitness.”
As the Impact Player rule continues to turn the league into a batsman’s paradise, Krunal Pandya has decided that if the game doesn’t give him a level playing field, he will simply aim for the throat; or the head, or even higher.
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– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
28 Apr 2026 08:08 IST
