‘Perfect ball’: Sachin Tendulkar hails Krunal Pandya’s magical delivery that stunned Jose Buttler in IPL final

Krunal Pandya celebrates after taking the wicket of Jose Buttler. (Photo credit: IPL) NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowlers produced a clinical performance in the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans, but one moment stood out above all others – Krunal Pandya’s smart dismissal of Jose Buttler that earned praise even from batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.After being asked to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Gujarat Titans struggled for momentum and ended up at 155 for 8. Among the wickets that hurt them the most was the departure of Buttler, one of their most reliable batsmen this season. The England star amassed 526 runs during the campaign and was seen as GT’s best hope of steering the innings to a competitive total following the early dismissals of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.

Sachin applauds Krunal’s awareness of the game

Shortly after Buttler’s dismissal, Tendulkar took to social media to praise Krunal’s intelligence and execution.“What a fabulous delivery from @krunalpandya24! Watched the batsman’s legs till the last moment before dropping the perfect ball to send him back to the dressing room,” Tendulkar wrote.The praise from one of cricket’s greatest batsmen highlighted the quality of delivery and awareness Krunal showed under pressure in the biggest match of the season.WATCH:Buttler outwitted at the crucial momentThe decisive moment came on the first ball of the 13th over.Krunal, who noticed Buttler repeatedly trying to use his legs, kept his eyes on the batter until the last moment before firing a quick, wide delivery outside the off-stump.Buttler advanced down the track but was completely beaten by the pace and angle of the ball. Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma rallied cleanly and pulled off the bails to send the English batter back for 19 off 23 deliveries.Krunal celebrated with a typical roar as the RCB players realized the significance of the breakthrough. Buttler started to settle in and was expected to pick up the pace in the second half of the innings.The wicket proved crucial as GT failed to build any meaningful partnerships after that.While unheralded pacer Rasikh Salam Dar played with figures of 3 for 27 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood took two wickets apiece, Krunal’s solitary scalp arguably had the biggest impact.Washington Sundar’s unbeaten 50 off 37 balls helped Gujarat Titans reach 155 for 8.