Krunal Pandya has bowled more balls to left-hand batters than any other left-arm spinner in IPL 2025-26 and taken seven wickets.
captains frequently avoid using left-arm fingerspinners against left-hand batters. During the Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad match on April 13, Ravindra Jadeja did not bowl a single delivery to Ishan Kishan, with RR skipper Riyan Parag later stating it was because Kishan was batting well. Axar Patel, who often bowls in the powerplay, has often chosen not to face left-handers when possible. ## Krunal leads left-arm spinners against lefties Since the start of IPL 2025, no left-arm fingerspinner has bowled as many deliveries (124) to left-hand batters or taken more wickets (seven) than Krunal Pandya. His economy rate in this matchup stands at 9.19. The wickets he has claimed include those of Priyansh Arya, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Shimron Hetmyer. In comparison, Jadeja has bowled 91 balls to left-handers, taking four wickets, while Axar Patel has bowled 71 balls for three wickets and Mitchell Santner has taken one wicket in 49 deliveries. ## RCB captain trusts Krunal against left-handers Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar showed strong faith in Krunal against left-handers during a match against RR. Sooryavanshi was dominating a 202-run chase in Guwahati, with most RCB bowlers struggling. Krunal’s first over went for 14, as Sooryavanshi hit him for a six over deep square leg. However, Krunal persisted and dismissed Sooryavanshi with the first ball of his second over. Hetmyer then walked in without a helmet, and Krunal trapped him LBW with a bouncer aimed at off stump, which Hetmyer ramped to short third man. Two balls, two left-hand batters out. In a high-scoring game where even Hazlewood conceded runs at 11 per over and two bowlers went at 18, Krunal finished with an economy rate of 7.50 after four overs. Against Mumbai Indians, where 462 runs were scored in a 222-run chase, Krunal returned figures of 1 for 26 in four overs, proving crucial to the win. ## Krunal explains his unconventional approach After the win over Mumbai Indians, Krunal Pandya spoke about his willingness to innovate. He said, 'I have never shied away from trying different and new things. If you see with the Impact Player rule.. previously without an Impact Player, you had No. 6 allrounder, No. 7 an allrounder, the batsmanship was a lot different. Now, having eight pure batters, and plus the skillset, you see the young boys are just hitting from ball one consistently.' Krunal added, 'As a bowler, I always want to be one step ahead. The skillset as well as the mental battle. It has just purely come from that, whether it is bending my knee and bowling that ball or bowling a bouncer.' He continued, 'I am glad that it is coming out well and hope that in this format, there are fingerspinners who will survive and who can take something out of it and do well in this format. For a fingerspinner, flat tracks, having eight batters, it has become very difficult. I am glad that I am able to contribute in a nice way.' ## Krunal’s method behind success against left-handers Krunal Pandya’s effectiveness against left-hand batters comes from a deliberate strategy. All 41 deliveries he has bowled to left-handers this season have been angled from around the wicket. He mixes lengths and pace effectively, preventing batters from settling into a rhythm. Cricinfo’s logs show he uses bouncers far more often against left-handers than right-handers, keeping them outside the hitting zone. This strategy is also a result of focused practice. Ahead of RCB’s home game against Lucknow Super Giants, he bowled exclusively to left-handers Jacob Bethell and Devdutt Padikkal, testing around-the-wicket angles and varying pace and length. The day before facing Delhi Capitals, he did not bowl to left-handers but instead practiced against Tim David and Romario Shepherd. His first ball to David was a bouncer, and when Shepherd smashed a low-arm slinger for a six, Krunal responded with another bouncer—Shepherd ducked under—and followed up with some verbal exchange. ## Krunal’s long-term success against left-handers Krunal Pandya’s willingness to bowl to left-hand batters is not a recent trend. Over the last six seasons, he has consistently faced left-handers with reasonable success. During RCB’s IPL title win last year, while the focus was on Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal became the team’s key middle-over bowler (overs 7 to 16), claiming 12 wickets—joint third-highest—and maintaining an economy rate of 7.89. In the 2025 final, with Punjab Kings chasing 191, Krunal returned figures of 2 for 17 in four overs and earned the Player-of-the-Match award. ## Krunal continues strong form in IPL 2026 Krunal Pandya has carried his form into IPL 2026. Except for the opening game against SRH, he has taken at least one wicket in every match this season. He is currently RCB’s joint-highest wicket-taker with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both on seven wickets. On Wednesday, he became only the sixth player in IPL history to reach the double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs. Out of his 100 wickets, 27 have come against left-hand batters. As he prepares for the upcoming Delhi Capitals clash, he will be targeting at least two more left-hand wickets. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav may need to watch out.