Krunal Pandya (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: If taking pitch, conditions, dimensions, and match-ups out of the equation is an art, then Krunal Pandya is a Picasso. As the imbalance between bat and ball continues to tilt heavily in favour of the former in IPL 2026, the left-armer has managed to restore some normalcy whenever he has had the ball in hand. With his unique bag of tricks and a street-smart brain, Krunal has stayed one step ahead, one variation at a time.At a time when teams obsess over matchups, prioritising them over skill, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru don’t face that problem with Krunal. Left-hander, no problem. In-form opener, no problem. Death overs? No problem. He is well-equipped to handle any situation, and the ease with which he has operated in different phases of the game speaks volumes about the calm head he possesses. Even when Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are being underbowled due to the match-up obsessions, Krunal has continued to do the heavy lifting for the RCB in IPL 2026, even at the unforgiving Chinnaswamy.

Axar bowled Nitish Rana’s part-time off-spin when the SRH left-handers were on song. RR skipper Riyan Parag doesn’t seem to trust the experienced Jadeja, but Rajat Patidar clearly has the weight behind Krunal. The RCB all-rounder has bowled 25 overs in 7 games, while Jadeja has bowled only 15 in 8, and Axar has bowled 23 in 7. Yes, Krunal’s economy is higher compared to the other two seasoned finger spinners, but his lion-heartedness has helped him stand out from the pack.Take, for instance, the away fixture vs the Rajasthan Royals when young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was firing on all cylinders. Krunal not only got rid of the dangerman but also surprised the new man, Shimron Hetmyer, with a well-directed bouncer – something he has been consistently and accurately doing this season. It’s not just the bouncer. He mixes his pace, uses different release points, plays around the popping crease and nails yorkers with the precision of a fast bowler.On the eve of their match against the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik — who reinvented the batting wheel during his “finishing” days with the franchise — praised Krunal for “pushing the boundaries”.“He is a player that this game is going to remember for a long time because he is doing something that has not been done before. He’s pushing the boundaries of what a finger-spinner means,” Karthik told reporters on Sunday.

For Krunal, it’s not just about being different but being very shrewd in what he does. The bouncers are not bowled to look cool — he has his braids for that — but to “create a doubt in the batter”. Like he successfully did against his now teammate Venkatesh Iyer, who played for the Kolkata Knight Riders last season. The bouncer forced the left-hander to ask for a helmet, and the next delivery caught him napping and crashed into the woodwork.“He’s bowling deliveries that people really couldn’t fathom a few years ago, and he’s using them very cleverly. He’s not someone who’s just doing it because it looks cool. He knows that it does create a doubt in the batter. He is a trend-setter. IPL is changing the landscape of cricket, and Krunal is changing the landscape of finger-spin bowling,” Karthik added.Krunal’s last appearance for the country was in 2021 when he played the T20I vs Sri Lanka in Colombo. Since then, he has played for different IPL franchises and continued to grind in the domestic circuit for his state, Baroda, but, most importantly, he has striven to stay one step ahead of batters. In a chat with JioHotstar, the all-rounder expressed his strong desire to wear the Indian jersey again, and the 35-year-old doesn’t need to look far for comeback inspiration. RCB’s mentor, and Krunal’s biggest cheerleader, is no stranger to comebacks.