IPL 2020: Krunal suprises Hardik with his ‘Wasim Akram type yorkers’ against KXIP

Krunal Pandya returned with figures of 1 for 27 in his quota of 4 overs. His variations troubled the KXIP batsmen in the powerplay, especially the Yorkers which were completely unexpected.

Mumbai Indians (MI) promisingly took down King XI Punjab (KXIP) in the match number 13 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on October 1. While the batters put up an exemplary show, the bowlers too were right on the mark. One of them was Krunal Pandya who played a crucial role in MI’s 48-run victory in Abu Dhabi.

Photo of Krunal Pandya during a Mumbai Indians game in IPL 2020 (Krunal Pandya/Twitter)

The senior Pandya returned with figures of 1 for 27 in his quota of 4 overs as KL & Co. were restricted to 143 for 8 in 20 overs. His variations troubled the KXIP batsmen in the powerplay, especially the Yorkers which were completely unexpected.

Krunal’s this ashtonishing act left his younger brother Hardik Pandya completely surprised.

“We are seeing this new thing coming. Where is this Wasim Akram coming in and bowling yorkers?” Hardik asked Krunal in a video interview after the face-off.

“The batting skill has gone so, so up these days and the way the wickets are.. you have to find your own way to make sure that the batsman doesn’t go after you. You have to do all this, sometimes. At the end of the day, if you execute your plans, you are going to be happy,” Krunal said.

While chasing the 175-run target, Kings XI Punjab scored 33 in the first three overs. Rohit Sharma then brought Krunal Pandya into the attack and the spinner changed the scenario upside down. He perfectly stalled the run-flow and also cleared off Karun Nair in his second over.

“Till the 4th over, they (KXIP) were going really well. I just thought one thing that I should bowl according to the field. I was very determined as well. Today, I was determined, I took it as a challenge, they were going well and thought ‘If I bowl good here, we are again back in the game’,” said Krunal.

Earlier in the game, skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front and amassed 70 runs against KXIP, guiding Mumbai Indians to their second victory in the tournament. With this win, MI surpassed Delhi Capitals to claim the No. 1 position in the standings.