Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Krunal Pandya said that he enjoys playing under pressure and always prepares himself for challenging situations, after his match-winning 73 off 46 balls that helped RCB beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by two wickets in a last-ball thriller in the IPL 2026 match on Sunday. With RCB finding themselves at 39/3 in 5.1 overs in their chase of 167, Krunal Pandya added a crucial 55-run stand with Jacob Bethell (27) and a 37-run stand with Jitesh Sharma (18) to bring RCB closer to their target.

“I obviously love tough situations and I always prepare and look forward to those. Obviously wanted to finish the game but I was not able to do it but the shot that Bhuvi played was the shot of the match. It was a wicket where you have to play cricketing shots. Not the kind of wicket where you line up the bowlers. You have to apply and grind and play the knock,” Krunal Pandya said at the post-match presentations.

He also said that he struggled with severe cramps during his innings, stating that he is not used to batting for such long periods.

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“I was cramping a lot. It started from calf, went to glutes and went to my back. So I was cramping a lot. I don’t usually bat so long,” Pandya said.

Krunal Pandya, who spent his first six years at the IPL from 2016 to 2021 with the Mumbai Indians, opined on his time with his former franchise, calling MI batting coach Kieron Pollard a “big brother” and applauding him as a T20 great as well.

“Polly (Kieron Pollard) is my big brother. I had my best six years at MI. Kieron Pollard and Pandya brothers were the engine room. It was obviously emotional and I obviously love Kieron Pollard and a terrific human being. GOAT of this format and won so many trophies and games. And as he says, you can’t keep a good man down,” Krunal Pandya said during the post-match presentations.