The Krunal Pandya bouncer: How RCB spinner went back in time to save his future

Krunal Pandya has given ‘Chin Music’ a modern remix. From a two-step gather, the left-arm spinner is hurrying batters with a bouncer that climbs at close to 120 kph. It is less a novelty, more a provocation. In a league engineered for six-hitting, where even good balls disappear, Krunal has reached for something older, riskier, and oddly suited to the times: the short-pitched ambush.

It is fast becoming a signature. As Dinesh Karthik noted, it has the makings of a trend. Batters know it is coming; that hasn’t made it any easier to play. He even bowled one to his brother, Hardik.

So how did a left-arm spinner, long cast as a containment option, end up unsettling hitters with a weapon few in his trade even attempt?

There was a moment in Krunal Pandya’s career when he felt the acute pain of being a bowler in the modern Indian Premier League. Standing at his mark, he was struck by a distinct ‘vibe’: wherever I bowl, I am going to get hit for six. It was no hyperbolic foresight.

Since the introduction of the Impact Player rule in 2023, the scales have tilted, heavily, in favour of the willow. Massive bats, shrinking boundaries, and the tactical freedom afforded by an extra batter have made the game a waking nightmare for even the elite.

For a left-arm spinner, it is a war of attrition. It is a tactical conflict that often prohibits you from bowling to a left-hander, effectively slashing your utility and your wicket-taking probability by half.

This season, captains have instinctively shielded their left-arm spinners, preferring part-time off-spinners against aggressive southpaws like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya. Standing at the top of his mark, Krunal recalled his past: a time spent bowling on the matting wickets of his village, where the boundaries were even tighter than those in the IPL. It was back in 2012-13 that Krunal first began experimenting with bouncers and wide yorkers as a survival tactic. What was born as a coping mechanism quickly evolved into a lethal weapon.

However, in the IPL, those variations were largely kept under wraps. At Mumbai Indians, he was pigeonholed as a defensive specialist. His brief was simple: ‘Go, contain, and make life easier for your bowling partner.’ It was a similar story at Lucknow Super Giants, where he played second fiddle to supposedly more ‘aggressive’ spinners.

A WEAPON FROM THE PAST

But when he landed a contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the narrative shifted.

When RCB assembled their squad at the 2025 mega auction, critics were quick to pounce, claiming Krunal and Suyash Sharma lacked the aggressive edge to lead a frontline spin attack. While Krunal was seen as a conventional spinner, Suyash—despite being a wrist-spinner—relied on googlies and turned the ball very little. They were certainly not the box-office pairings of Jadeja-Ashwin or Kuldeep-Axar.

Yet, at RCB, Krunal was finally handed a licence to thrill.

At 35, he was experienced enough to contain, but he knew he needed to stay a step ahead in the mental chess match of T20 cricket. He returned to those old days on the matting wickets, dusted off his forgotten weapons, and brought them to the grandest stage of all.

“Many years ago, I used to play cricket on matting wickets in my village, say in 2012-13. So, if you bowl conventional left-arm spin there, you get hit a lot. So, this thought process and the mindset came many years ago. There, I learned bouncers, wide yorkers and other variations,” Krunal told the press after RCB’s nine-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in New Delhi on Monday.

“But, once I began playing the IPL, my role was to contain. I was able to contain without adding new things. But, in the last 2-3 years, the way batting has evolved due to the Impact Player rule, you tend to wonder before starting your run up as to where to bowl to the batters because it feels like they are going to hit your every ball to a six.

“So, I added the bouncer. But, I haven’t been practising the bouncer in the nets because to bowl it in the nets, it takes a lot of effort. So, I tried to preserve myself and bowl the bouncer only in the matches. But, it depends a lot on fitness,” he said.

THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

The numbers certainly validate the shift. Krunal has bowled more to left-handed batters than any other left-arm spinner over the last two years, claiming seven wickets in the process. This season, his victims include Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shimron Hetmyer; the latter was dismissed by a stinging bouncer that caught the West Indian star completely off-guard.

Unlike his counterparts, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar hasn't felt the need to hide his left-arm spinner from southpaws. In fact, Krunal’s average against left-handers (22) is superior to Ravindra Jadeja’s (25.2) and rivals that of Axar Patel (19) over the last two seasons.

But it isn't just about the short ball. Krunal has perfected a slinging delivery from a low-arm trajectory and has been nailing wide yorkers with surgical precision.

“Last year I had a very good season with RCB. I was just thinking of what I can add to my game so that I can be one step ahead of the batter in the mental game. That’s the reason why I introduced the bouncer. Along with the bouncer, I bowl the delivery with the low-arm trajectory,” he noted.

“Bowling a bouncer for a spinner is not easy and a lot depends on how fit you are. Because, running in with a couple of steps and then generating that much pace for a bouncer is not easy. But, my action suits it, and I have not been scared of trying new things. I take it up as a challenge.

"Also, there is a lot of chatter in the IPL about match-ups, especially when it comes to left-arm bowlers bowling against left-handed batters. So, I took it as a challenge to see how far it goes. So far, it has worked well.”

With a trademark smirk, Krunal adds that several others are now attempting to replicate his blueprint. He credits RCB’s spin-bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan for granting him the creative freedom to execute these ideas. After years of being a defensive cog, Krunal is relishing the chance to go for the jugular.

In IPL 2025, when RCB finally ended an 18-year wait to lift the trophy, Krunal snared 17 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 22.29. In the preceding year with Lucknow, he had been more economical (7.72) but managed only six wickets at an average of 42.50. This year, with 9 wickets already at an economy of 8.85, he is proving that neither he—nor his team—is afraid of the occasional boundary if it leads to a breakthrough.

KRUNAL'S LEFT-HANDED VICTIMS SINCE IPL 2025

1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
2. Shimron Hetmyer
3. Nitish Rana
4. Priyansh Arya
5. Mitchell Santner
6. Rinku Singh
7. Venkatesh Iyer

“A lot of credit should also go to our spin bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan. Because, when I came to RCB, my role changed. I got liberty to go for wickets, liberty to experiment. There was that trust. That really helps. If your coach backs you and gives you confidence, it helps a hundred percent,” he said.

“I have started to like this responsibility of going for wickets and try my new things. I am not bowling bouncers to just look cool, there is a lot of logic and reasoning behind it. So, there are healthy discussions within the camp. Malo gets a lot of credit for allowing me to be myself.”

THE BODY SUPPORTING THE BRAIN

Can a 35-year-old truly reinvent himself at this twilight stage of his career? The answer lies in Krunal’s unwavering confidence in his physical conditioning. For the mind to envision, the body must be able to execute.

He may not share his brother’s penchant for shirtless, viral workouts, but Krunal’s wiry frame is built for the grind, not the gram.
“I have always prioritised fitness because when you are young, your body recovers well, listens to you. But, over a period of time, food and fitness becomes a very integral part for an athlete,” he said.

“What happens sometimes is, when you think of evolving or adding new things to your skillset, you can plan for it mentally, but if you are not fit, your body doesn’t allow it. Fitness helps your body adapt to changes or new things. So, I have focused on fitness.”

As the Impact Player rule continues to turn the league into a hitter's paradise, Krunal Pandya has decided that if the game won’t give him a level playing field, he’ll simply aim for the throat; or the head, or even higher.

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