Krunal Eases RCB's Spin Worry Lines Early in the Season

Coming out of the auction, spin looked like one of Royal Challengers Bangalore's soft spots. But Krunal, a utility allrounder, eased those worries with a telling response, finishing with figures of 3 for 29.

Krunal's ability to restrict runs is often overlooked, but he has an impressive record in the IPL, with a best of 7.98 runs per over. His intrinsic defensiveness came in handy on a night where early damage control was crucial.

The key moment came when he removed Ajinkya Rahane, who was flying at that point with a 25-ball fifty. Krunal's clever bouncer followed to a helmet-less Venkatesh Iyer, who edged the next ball onto his stumps. He cleaned up Rinku Singh with another skiddy, wicket-to-wicket ball.

Krunal's plan was simple: keep it on an in-between length, keep it straight, and vary the pace. He didn't try too much, and that made all the difference.

His pace variation was also noteworthy, with his three wicket balls being his fastest of the over. He began a touch too quick, but recalibrated after being taken for runs.

In the post-match presentation, Krunal said, "When you play in front of such a big crowd, you have to narrow down your focus. That's what I did when I came back in the second over. I narrowed down the focus on where I wanted to bowl. If you get hit, you should only get hit on a good ball."

It was this repeatable, no-frills approach that worked on a sticky Eden pitch, one of the flattest surfaces in the IPL over the past two years. Krunal's spell was an early step in the right direction for RCB's spin strategy.