Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Krunal Pandya has credited Virat Kohli for his match-winning knock against Delhi Capitals during their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.
Krunal Pandya stepped up to make a superb 73 runs off 47 balls — blending immense composure with calculated aggression — and stitched together a 119-run partnership with Kohli, who scored 51 runs from 47 balls on a tricky pitch.
At one stage, Pandya was struggling to find the gaps. Having scored 17 off 21 balls at the halfway stage of the chase, it did look like the rusty Pandya would fall, as seen from him ducking a bumper from Mitchell Starc and being later beaten on the outside edge, apart from being slightly hit on the side of his helmet by Dushmantha Chameera.
But Pandya, promoted to number five, got his shift of gears timing right by hitting 56 runs off his last 26 balls.

“Virat Kohli’s energy is very infectious,” he told ipl20.com.
“It passed onto you also. He was the one who was constantly pushing me.
“I guess I will give a lot of credit to him also for my knock, where he kept backing me.
Who’s that IPL player?
“When I played the first 20 balls, I was hit on the helmet. But again, the attitude of not giving up and having that belief that you can’t give up and you will make a comeback.

“I guess, more than skill, it was mentally challenging. And if you are strong enough, eventually you will make a comeback,” he said.
Krunal, who bowled a tidy spell of 1 for 28, choked the run rate of DC.
“After playing sport for so many years, I have realized that there is more failure than success. The biggest learning is that you should never give up; you keep getting better, and when your opportunity comes, you win the match for your team,” he said.
“Somewhere down the line, every individual has made a comeback. We have played consistent cricket in these 10 games. We will try to make sure that we will continue this thing,” he added.
RCB are currently placed at the top of the points table.
RCB will not have a five-day break as their next match is against CSK on May 3 in Bengaluru.

K.L. Rahul is best placed to bat at number four and keep wickets for India in next year’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup, believes Delhi Capitals mentor Kevin Pietersen.

With his intent in the shortest format being questioned in the past, Rahul has tweaked his approach to be the leading run-getter for Delhi Capitals’ this season.

The competition for the wicket-keeper-batter’s slot in the national team is stiff with Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan being the other options for the selectors.

Rahul has not been a part of India’s T20 setup since the 2022 World Cup but Pietersen reckons he has done enough to warrant a comeback, and is best suited for the wicket-keeper-batter’s role.

“I’d bat K. L. at four for India in T20 cricket. I think you guys have got plenty of opening batters.

“But the way K. L. Rahul is playing cricket now, he would be my first choice to bat at four, and keep wickets for India,” said Pietersen in response to a PTI query after DC’s loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday night.

At the start of the season, Rahul himself had talked about his renewed approach towards the T20 format.

Besides the stellar show in Indian Premiere League (IPL), it was Rahul’s recent performances for India in One Day International (ODI) cricket that left a huge impression on Pietersen, one of the best batters to have played for England.

“K. L. has been playing in a very positive manner since…mid to late last year. We saw how he finished off a couple of the games for India and almost sealed the deal in the Champions Trophy in Dubai.

“I’ve had a lot of incredibly brilliant conversations with him about batting, a lot of deep and meaningful conversations because when you grow up as a youngster like he did, you get taught defence, elbow up, play in the V,” he explained.

The big-hitter said it is not easy to change that approach after hitting the thirties.

“…you’ve got to change it and you’ve got to become a different kind of player for a different format which is evolving all the time.

“It’s very, very difficult. So the way that he has accepted that he’s needed to change, the way that he has changed is of great, great credit to the person that he is,” said Pietersen.

The next T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Fine with tough batting surfaces in T20s

Scores in the range of 250 were a common occurrence last IPL but the slower nature of pitches has made batting tougher this season. Pietersen has no issues with that.

“On wickets like these [the one at Feroz Shah Kotla], you’ve got to be methodical, you’ve got to find rhythm. Virat [Kohli] found rhythm this evening. K. L. got rhythm,” he said.

“And I think that’s where you see the true batter. The real batter that can come out there, and sort of monitor the situation, and it looks effortless…is it good for T20 cricket to have the occasional wicket like this? I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” he added.

Pietersen was not in favour of bowlers “just being served up into the stands every single ball”.

“…I don’t think every night people want to see that. I don’t really want to see it every night,” Pietersen said.

Foundations can be laid in IPL

He has played in the IPL and more recently been a part of the commentary panel. This season, he is back in the dugout as a member of Delhi Capitals’ support staff. The 44-year-old spoke about his role in the team.

“I always knew that when I was playing franchise cricket, that no particular coach could change you over that four to six week period, or eight week period,” he conceded.

However, he cited his interactions with Abhishek Porel to stress that changes introduced during the tournament can become permanent if persisted with over a period of time.

“…last night I was working on something. We’re five weeks into the tournament, we’ve only got three or four weeks left of the tournament. And I said to him, I said, ‘Abhi, this is not going to work for you tomorrow.’ It might not work for you the next week. But if you keep working on it, in the next month, two months, three months, four months, I promise you this is going to help your game. And it’s going to take you to a level where you’re going to become a more destructive batter.

“So I think that’s the key. Trying to lay foundations now, and then also just mentally, trying to switch a few players on, and make them think better,” he added.

NEW DELHI: It has been a rollercoaster ride for KL Rahul in ODIs over the past one and a half years. He has been India’s mainstay in the middle-order and with the gloves behind the wicket.
Kl Rahul delivered a stellar performance at the 2023 ODI World Cup, scoring 452 runs in 11 matches at an impressive average of 75.33. In the Champions Trophy, he again showed his class. His tally of 136 runs in the tournament might not win him many awards, but his importance to India in the middle order was immense. In the semifinal against Australia, he finished unbeaten on 42 and then steered India to their back-to-back ICC titles, finishing unbeaten on 34 off 33 balls against New Zealand in the final.
The right-hander was not just outstanding with the bat but also proved invaluable behind the stumps — guiding bowlers, assisting Rohit Sharma with DRS calls, and maintaining composure under pressure.
The emotions were raw and visible when KL Rahul finally lifted the Champions Trophy — his maiden ICC title. He knew exactly how much it meant to him.
However, despite his efforts, he was overlooked for the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies — a tournament India went on to win.
Who’s that IPL player?
Once an all-format mainstay, KL Rahul is once again digging deep to force his way back into India’s T20I setup. In fact, it seems he is already chasing another piece of ICC silverware — the 2026 T20 World Cup. The mega event is scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka between February and March 2026.
Will he make it back into India’s T20I squad? Looking at his current form, the answer seems increasingly positive.
KL Rahul is in ominous touch — playing lofted drives, straight shots, pulls, and flicks — and is as sharp as ever behind the stumps. With 364 runs in 8 matches, Rahul is currently the highest run-getter for his team, Delhi Capitals, in IPL 2025.

Delhi Capitals mentor and former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen declared KL Rahul as his “first-choice to bat at No. 4 for India.”
“I back KL at No. 4 for India in T20 cricket,” Pietersen told reporters after the Delhi Capitals’ loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Delhi.
“You’ve got Rohit and Yashasvi — you’ve got Surya, who bats at the top, you’ve got all of these guys. But the way KL Rahul is playing cricket now, he would be my first choice to bat at four and keep wicket for India,” Pietersen said.
“KL has been playing in a very positive manner since mid to late last year. We saw how he finished off a couple of games for India and almost sealed the deal for you guys in the Champions Trophy in Dubai. I’ve had a lot of incredibly brilliant conversations with him about batting — a lot of deep and meaningful conversations — because when you grow up as a youngster like he did, you’re taught defence, elbow up, playing in the V.

“Then, all of a sudden, in your 30s, you’ve got to change and become a different kind of player for a format that’s evolving all the time. It’s very, very difficult. The way he has accepted that he needed to change, and the way he has changed, is great credit to the person he is.
“He is so positive — the way he practices, the way he trains, the way he thinks about the game, and also the way he talks about the game,” Pietersen said.
KL Rahul (41 off 39 balls) top-scored for Delhi Capitals, helping his side post a competitive total of 162/8 in 20 overs.
In response, Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli struck half-centuries to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a six-wicket win over Delhi Capitals.
The duo stitched together a 119-run partnership off 84 balls as RCB chased down the 163-run target in 18.3 overs, extending their unbeaten run away from home.
With the win, RCB notched up their seventh victory in 10 games, while Delhi Capitals suffered only their third loss in nine matches. Both teams remain firmly on track for a place in the playoffs.