Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya [Source: AFP and AP Photos]Krunal Pandya has finally spoken about the rumours surrounding his relationship with his younger brother Hardik Pandya. This comes just before the much-awaited IPL 2026 match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The match is set to take place at the famous Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12.The rumours about a possible rift began after some unusual social media activity involving the two brothers. Earlier, Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya were known for sharing a strong bond both on and off the cricket field. However, recently, fans started noticing signs that suggested something might be wrong.How the rumours startedIn particular, the speculation grew after India’s T20 World Cup celebrations. Although Hardik Pandya played an important role in the tournament, Krunal did not post any congratulatory message for him. Because of this, fans started questioning whether everything was fine between them.Moreover, fans also noticed that Krunal’s wife, Pankhuri Sharma, did not share any celebratory posts either. This made people even more curious.In addition to that, during previous tournaments, the Pandya family was often seen cheering together in the stadium. However, this time, Krunal Pandya and Pankhuri were reportedly absent from the matches. As a result, online discussions increased, with many people guessing that there could be a problem within the family.Furthermore, social media users pointed out that the couple had not interacted with Hardik’s recent posts. Earlier, they used to regularly celebrate birthdays, festivals, and achievements together online. Therefore, this sudden change made the situation look even more suspicious to fans.Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya’s strong past bondThe rumours became a big topic mainly because of the brothers’ inspiring journey. Both Krunal and Hardik Pandya grew up in Vadodara and worked very hard to achieve success in cricket.Over the years, they have often talked about their struggles and how they supported each other while growing up. They trained together as teenagers and slowly made their way from local cricket to representing India internationally. Because of this strong history, fans found it hard to believe that there could be any serious issue between them.Also Read: Usman Tariq Hits Back At Ravichandran Ashwin On Daryl Mitchell ControversyKrunal Pandya responds to rumoursHowever, Krunal has now clearly dismissed all the rumours. In a video shared by RCB, he said that playing against his brother does not change anything between them. He explained that both of them are competitive players, and therefore, they focus on winning for their respective teams.He said, “Yes I will be playing against my brother but nothing changes. You know, we both are quite good competitors but we are brother at the end of the day. So, we will give everything on the field and may the best team wins, which is RCB."Shailesh @shailesh18_ May the best team win, which is RCB 😭😭 Apr 12, 2026, 9:37 AM Meanwhile, the match between MI and RCB is expected to be very exciting. Both teams have a strong rivalry, and fans are eagerly waiting for this clash.Currently, MI have had a mixed start to the season, with one win and two losses, placing them lower on the points table. On the other hand, RCB started strongly with two wins but recently suffered their first defeat. Even so, they remain among the top teams.Also Read: RCB Stars Who Can Take Retirement From IPL After 2026
