“Head of RCB rescue missions” - Fans hail Krunal Pandya for his match-winning knock in DC vs RCB IPL 2025 game 

Krunal Pandya emerged as the finest performer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they prevailed over Delhi Capitals (DC). It came in Match 46 of IPL 2025 on Sunday (April 27) in Delhi. Pandya slammed 73* and took a wicket to help RCB top the points table, which sparked reactions from fans on social media.

DC batted first and were off to a fine start with Abishek Porel (28 off 11), before he departed in the fourth over. Thereafter, KL Rahul (41 off 39) and Faf du Plessis (22 off 26) couldn't continue the team's tempo.

However, Tristan Stubbs' impressive knock of 34 off 18 paved the way for the Capitals to end on a defendable total of 162. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the wrecker-in-chief for RCB with three wickets.

In response, RCB were at 26/3 after the end of four overs. At this stage, Krunal Pandya joined hands with Virat Kohli to resurrect the team's innings. After assessing the pitch well, Pandya accelerated and gradually put the side in a dominating position.

Kohli (51 off 47) played a good hand yet again to become the new Orange Cap holder. In the end, Pandya (73* off 47) and Tim David (19* off 5) remained unbeaten to take RCB over the line in the 19th over. Axar Patel picked up two wickets for the home side.

Fans were impressed by Krunal Pandya's impressive all-round performance and shared their reactions on X. One of them said:

"Saved last match with the ball and this one with the bat. Krunal Pandya is head of RCB rescue missions."

Here are the other reactions:

"Not gonna lie, I feared the worst after Rajat's runout, but phew nicely done in the end. Krunal Pandya, that was an unbelievable knock. Completely happy to be proven wrong about you," a user wrote.

"Krunal Pandya kind of player doens't only make contributions with bowl, he delivers with bat and take some exceptional catches when the team needs him. Sanjiv Goenka released Krunal Pandya kind of diamond to buy Rishabh Pant for 27 crore," another wrote.

"Krunal Pandya is a very useful cricketer. Could've played for India more if not for Jaddu and Axar," one fan posted.

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Krunal Pandya opens up on his performance in DC vs RCB game

In the post-match presentation, Krunal Pandya expresses his satisfaction at contributing to RCB's victory against DC. He said:

"It is always good to see the results. Sometimes when you have put in the hard work behind the scenes and feels good when it comes off. It is quite satisfying. My role was clear. If we lose three early wickets, I can go in and make sure we stitch a partnership."

Further, Pandya thanked Virat Kohli for supporting him early on in the innings, which eventually helped him to play a match-winning knock. He added:

"When Virat is at the other end, it is quite easy. First 20 balls, it was scratchy for me. But he kept backing me. Then I got my mojo back. So, a lot of credit to Virat. I have always been an economical bowler. As a bowler, I have always wanted to be one step ahead. I have worked on my bowling. So, if you see the variations in speed. Knowing the batsman's strength, I am trying to use it to my advantage. Glad it is going in my favor."

RCB will next face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home on Saturday, May 3.