‘Let him die there’: Subramaniam Badrinath clears stance after on-air remark for Krunal Pandya sparks furore

Subramaniam Badrinath issued a clarification after his remark, which was made during commentary, went viral on social media.

Updated on: May 11, 2026, 14:44:25 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Subramanian Badrinath, the former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter, issued a clarification on Monday after one of his remarks went viral on social media. The incident happened on Sunday during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Mumbai Indians in Raipur. Badrinath, who was on the Tamil commentary panel during the RCB's batting innings, commented about how Krunal Pandya was struggling with cramps. His remark came when the Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton was helping the opponent out.

Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton helps Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Krunal Pandya. (AP)

The clip went viral on social media, and several fans claimed that Badrinath made fun of Pandya's situation, joking that Rickelton should not help Pandya out because he was an opponent and that he should rather “let him die.”

Amid intense trolling on social media, Badrinath has finally broken his silence on the matter, spelling out exactly what he said during the Tamil commentary. He said that he was applauding Rickelton for helping Pandya out despite the match being on a knife-edge and Krunal being the difference between the two teams.

Also Read: The Mumbai Indians meltdown: Hardik’s time up; stale run demands reset as finger-pointing, tension all too apparent

He added that in his commentary, he vouched for fair play points to be given to Rickelton and the Mumbai Indians for helping Krunal out and putting the sportsman's spirit first.

“Let him die there”… that’s not going to be my attitude. I will go and stretch him. Great gesture from Ryan Rickelton.. Fair Play points should be given to him and MI for that. This is what I said on air, for people who don’t understand colloquial Tamil,” Badrinath wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

RCB win a thriller

On Sunday, the defending champions RCB went to the top of the IPL 2026 points table after registering a thrilling two-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, the five-time champions were eliminated from the playoff race.

Krunal Pandya proved to be the biggest difference-maker between the two teams, returning with a knock of 73. However, after his wicket, it seemed done and dusted for RCB. But the defending champs bounced back after Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit a six when RCB needed nine runs off three balls.

With two required off the final ball, Rasikh Salam Dar and Bhuvneshwar scampered back to seal the victory for RCB. Bhuvneshwar, the senior Indian pacer, was adjudged as the Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul and a knock of seven runs off two balls.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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