Krunal Pandya is set to win another Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The spin bowling all-rounder was the player of the match in the final of the IPL 2025 season, helping RCB claim their first league trophy after 18 years. Pandya was adjudged Player of the Match for taking 2 wickets for 17 runs in 4 overs.
This was not the first time that the spin bowling all-rounder was named the best player in the IP. When he was with Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2017 season, Pandya emerged as the best performer in the final. He did the same in 2025 and became the only player to be named Player of the Match in an IPL final twice.
Mumbai Indians won IPL 2017 on the basis of Krunal Pandya’s all-round performance.
Mumbai Indians faced Rising Pune Supergiants in the final of IPL 2017. The 20-over match was a low-scoring affair, but it kept the fans on their feet in excitement.
The Rohit Sharma-led team won the title by just 1 run after scoring 129 runs in the first innings. With Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith in the mix, Pune started well but ultimately failed to match the run rate, mainly due to Pandya.
The finger spinner bowled at an economy rate of 7.75 and added 47 runs in 38 runs with the bat. He was the top run scorer for Mumbai Indians in the summit clash. Later, MI released him ahead of the 2022 season.
The best is yet to come: Krunal Pandya said 4 years ago
Four years ago, after leaving MI, the all-rounder had said that his best was yet to come.
Pandya had said four years ago, “Everyone wants to be that player who has that award. But, to be honest, not really. One thing I know is that my best is yet to come. And I think it is going to come very, very soon. I am well prepared.”
“I’m in a great zone. It’s just a matter of time. Because every cricketer has a phase where things go the way he wants, so I want to be like that, so I’m ready for that phase where I can grab it not with both hands, but with my whole body and make the most of it,” he said.
Did Krunal Pandya get his best IPL moment by winning the IPL 2025 final?
Winning IPL 2025 with Royal Challengers Bangalore, plus another Player of the Match award, was this the best of Krunal Pandya? The 34-year-old then said that they still have a long way to go as they have got the momentum after winning IPL 2025.
“It feels really good that everything I said in 2022 has come exactly as I said it would. After a 17-year drought, and again in the 18th season, RCB won the trophy and I got to be a part of it – I had a nice, small contribution to their success – can’t ask for more than that.
“Moving forward, I’m still hungry. I think this is just the beginning,” Krunal Pandya told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
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