Krunal Pandya Hardik Pandya. Image Credits: AP/Jiostar
In a battle of brothers, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya were involved in a serious staring game during the IPL 2026 clash between the Mumbai Indians and RCB, held at Wankhede Stadium.
Krunal, representing RCB, bowled to Hardik, the captain of the Mumbai Indians. During the over, a rivalry sparked out of nowhere, and it quickly gained the fans’ attention on social media.
Krunal Pandya scares Hardik Pandya
In the 9th over of the second innings, Krunal Pandya delivered a sharp, aggressive bouncer to Hardik Pandya. The Mumbai Indians captain managed to evade it, but immediately after, the two brothers shared a cold, intense stare.
While Krunal kept staring at Hardik after the delivery, the latter pulled away. He could not see eye to eye with his own brother, thus adding fuel to the ongoing rift rumours.
Even after Hardik’s dismissal later in the innings, Krunal was seen celebrating animatedly. The brothers didn’t talk on or off the field, and tensions between them were clearly visible.
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The Hardik-Krunal rift
Hardik and Krunal Pandya are siblings who once played together for the Mumbai Indians. However, their bond appears to have been shaken up.
The rumours of a rift first emerged when Krunal didn’t publicly congratulate Hardik Pandya after India’s T20 World Cup win. The brothers, who once lived under the same roof, didn’t post anything together on social media.
All social and family gatherings were missed. According to some rumours, Krunal Pandya is unhappy with Hardik’s relationship with Mahieka Sharma. However, these are just conjectures and unproven theories.
Hardik, after divorcing his ex-wife, Natasa Stankovic, is now in a relationship with model and social media influencer Mahieka. The duo confirmed their relationship earlier this year on Instagram.
Since the couple started dating, Hardik and Krunal seem to have drifted apart, and fans have connected the dots to pin the blame on Mahieka alone.
RCB humble MI at Wankhede
Coming back to the game, RCB outgunned the Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in a high-scoring thriller at the Wankhede, riding on a complete batting effort.
Explosive knocks from Phil Salt, Virat Kohli (50), and skipper Rajat Patida powered RCB to a daunting total of 240/4.
In response, the Mumbai Indians stayed in the hunt thanks to a blistering 71* off 31 from Sherfane Rutherford, but he didn’t find any support.
Hardik Pandya tried to keep the momentum alive with 40 off 22 balls, but regular wickets proved costly. Rohit Sharma, the anchor, got retired hurt early in the powerplay.
RCB’s bowlers, meanwhile, held their nerve in the death overs despite Rutherford’s trashing. While MI finished strongly at 222/5, the target proved just out of reach. This is now Mumbai's third loss of the season, and they dropped to 8th spot on the points table.
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