Sometimes you have to be smart - Krunal Pandya on RCB’s calculated approach against SRH

RCB put up a solid fight against their southern counterparts, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in their last league-stage fixture of IPL 2026. Alongside Venkatesh Iyer and Rajat Patidar’s solid show, Krunal Pandya chimed in with an important knock towards the end, garnering 41 runs from just 31 balls while staying unbeaten.

In the RCB Post-Match Dressing Room chat, KP opened up on the team’s priority: playing smart. He also highlighted the home advantage factor which imparted a slender edge to SRH, especially with the execution of the variations.

Shedding light on the importance of finishing in the top two, Pandya said, “It's actually not just today's game. The result didn't go our way, but I think it's there for what we are hoping for last 2 and a half months. And we are glad that this was our first goal and to achieve that after 14 games is pretty satisfying. And now we are two steps away from what we all have been expecting from day one of the start of the season.”

Underscoring the home advantage for SRH, Pandya added, “They had the experience of bowling on this ground, like they have played seven games. And they were really good with how they executed their slower balls in the slots and slower bouncers as well. Obviously in the latter half, it became quite difficult. And sometimes, on the other hand, I was hitting the ball, not from the middle of the bat, it was a swing straight to the field.”

Stating further, KP added, “But again, our first goal was to, you know, obviously, we always want to win the game, but sometimes you have to be smart where, you know, you don't want to undo the effort what we have put in for two and a half months, right, which is to get into top two. So I try and get my experience in and try to contribute in whichever is the best way.”

He concluded by stating, “So today I pulled something which is unique, where I bowled the 17th over, or I guess something like that. So getting the Klaasen wicket, it obviously was crucial. So, yeah, it's just really happy with my overall performance and how I'm going about it. But again, at the end of the day, what matters is the golden trophy.”