EXCLUSIVE | ‘I was a passport agent, a car broker before cricket’: Krunal Pandya opens up about life’s problems

Krunal Pandya (BCCI/IPL Photo) NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya’s journey to becoming a five-time IPL champion has been a story of grit, dedication and resilience. Before IPL titles, India caps and accolades, Krunal’s daily routine revolved around paperwork, affidavits and helping people buy used cars for a small commission.Fresh off IPL titles with RCB and a fifth IPL crown overall, Krunal reflected on the issues that shaped him long before cricket brought fame and success. From working as a passport agent alongside his father Himanshu Pandya to brokering used cars, the left-arm spinner believes the lessons learned off the cricket field have helped him thrive under pressure.In an exclusive interaction with Tech Word News, Krunal explained why difficult situations bring out the best in him and how his upbringing shaped his approach to cricket and life.“Actually I’m waiting and looking forward to situations where it’s difficult. I don’t know, I think the way I play cricket is actually what I’ve learned in my life. So there’s a lot to do, how at a very young age my… I’ll go back to my teenage years. When I was 11-12 years old, I was working with my dad as an agent, so I went as a consultant, so my dad was 2.” So at a very young age I experienced life with my dad, my mom, and then I realized how hard life was when we were growing up, my parents were like that too, but I was doing it with my dad, making ration cards for people myself.The influence of his late father remains central to Krunal’s outlook on life and cricket. By witnessing the realities of life at a young age, he says these experiences taught him to never back down from a challenge and helped him embrace pressured situations rather than fearing them.“Then I used to be a car dealer. So I got to see life very closely at a very young age. So I think when I play sports, I play the same way. I don’t give up. And when the going gets tough, I’m like, ‘I’ve got to win it.’ you will use a different brain for cricket and a different brain for life.” Long before he was lifting IPL trophies with Mumbai Indians and Bengaluru Royals, Krunal spent his days helping people fill out paperwork, arrange documents and navigate government processes. He also worked as a car broker, earning modest commissions from selling used vehicles.When asked about the coolest car he sold during his time as a broker, Krunal laughed and recalled the humble reality of those years.“We used to sell used cars. It used to be Rs 3 to 4 crore. You got Rs 3,000 commission, agent fee. I was a passport agent myself. I filled forms. I made affidavits. I did paperwork, ration card for everyone, light bill, then I got two identity proofs, took school certificates, filled forms online visit Tech Word News office for name corrections using scraps of paper. Yeah, I did a lot of stuff.”One of the most successful players in the IPL, with five titles under his belt, Krunal played a key role in RCB’s successful title defense in IPL 2026. In 16 matches, he scored 226 runs at a strike rate of 145.80 and also took 14 wickets.