Krunal Pandya hammers his 3rd half-century in IPL: Key stats
What's the story
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off a nail-biting two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The match, played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, was a rollercoaster ride that ended with RCB knocking MI out of the tournament. Chasing a target of 167 on a challenging pitch, RCB's Krunal Pandya stole the show. His knock played a defining role.
Turning point
Krunal's match-winning 50 guides RCB to victory
Krunal played a crucial role in RCB's chase, absorbing pressure before taking on the spinners. He targeted the straight boundary and brought up a vital 55-run stand with Jacob Bethell. Even as wickets kept falling around him, Krunal kept RCB in the hunt for their target. His calculated assault against Corbin Bosch and Allah Ghazanfar ensured that RCB stayed within striking distance of victory despite losing wickets at regular intervals. He was dismissed in the 18th over by spinner Ghazanfar.
Numbers
Krunal hits his 10th fifty in T20s
Krunal scored a 46-ball 73 for RCB. His knock had four fours and five sixes. From 239 T20s (188 innings), Krunal now owns 3,158 runs at 23.92. He struck his 10th T20 fifty, as per ESPNcricinfo. As many as 1,897 of his T20 runs have come in the IPL from 153 games (124 innings) at 22.85. This was his 3rd fifty in the tournament.