BENGALURU, INDIA: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in their upcoming TATA IPL 2026 fixture in Delhi on Monday, April 27, with the side currently placed second on the points table with 10 points, and looking to further strengthen their position as the tournament progresses.
Ahead of the contest, RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik highlighted the growing impact of all-rounder Krunal Pandya.
“Krunal Pandya is a player this game will remember for a long time. He is pushing the boundaries of finger spin and bowling deliveries that weren’t imaginable a few years ago. He is becoming a master at it,” he said.
“He knows when to use his variations to create doubt in the batter’s mind, and more often than not, it delivers results. A lot of credit must go to him for how he is evolving as an all-rounder. IPL is changing the landscape of cricket, and Krunal is doing the same for finger-spin bowling,” elaborating on Krunal’s effectiveness in pressure situations, Karthik added.
It is worth remembering, however, that Pandya has picked up just eight wickets in seven matches, and is not even in the top-10 wicket-takers this season. He has also bowled at an expensive economy rate of 9.60. Hence, Karthik’s high praise may seem unjustified to some and needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Karthik lauded skipper Rajat Patidar’s approach for RCB’s performances:
“Rajat Patidar is constantly upping his standards. He is calm, thoughtful, and you can see that in the way he bats. He has the respect in the room and handles his bowlers well. Under pressure, he stays composed and makes good decisions.”
Reflecting on the evolving nature of the format, Karthik said:
“The IPL is constantly raising the bar. Players need to keep reinventing themselves to keep up with how fast the game is moving. We use data to understand situations better and try to use it to our advantage. It’s something we are consciously working on as a group.”
Speaking about Virat Kohli’s consistency, Karthik said:
“He reassesses his game every year and comes back with a clear plan. To keep up with the pace of this format and still perform consistently is quite remarkable.”
With experienced campaigners and emerging players contributing across departments, RCB will look to carry forward their momentum and deliver another strong performance as they face Delhi Capitals.
[This story has been generated from a syndicated feed and contains only minor edits]
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