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Krunal Pandya injury (Source: Instagram)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in New Raipur on Wednesday, May 13, in the IPL 2026. RCB will aim to secure their place in the IPL 2026 playoffs, while KKR will fight to stay alive in the tournament.
However, ahead of this high-pressure encounter, the biggest talking point remains the around the availability of RCB all-rounder Krunal Pandya.
Krunal Pandya has emerged as RCB's unsung hero
Krunal Pandya played a massive role in RCB's thrilling victory over Mumbai Indians in their previous match. In a game that went down to the final ball, Krunal Pandya delivered one of his finest IPL knocks under pressure. RCB were struggling at 39/3 in just over five overs.
However, Krunal Pandya steadied the innings brilliantly. He played with patience and maturity and scored an impressive 73 runs off 46 balls and almost single-handedly kept RCB in the chase.
Earlier in the game, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's brilliant bowling performance had restricted Mumbai Indians to 166/7. Tilak Varma scored 57, while Naman Dhir added 47, but Bhuvneshwar's four-wicket haul proved decisive.
With the win, RCB moved to 16 points and strengthened their playoff chances, while on the other hand, Mumbai Indians were officially eliminated from the competition.
Will Krunal Pandya will play in RCB vs KKR match?
Despite his match-winning performance, concerns over Krunal Pandya's fitness have now emerged for RCB vs KKR clash. During the clash against MI, the all-rounder appeared to be struggling physically.
He was seen suffering from severe cramps and required medical attention multiple times during his innings. The physio attended to him on the field repeatedly as Krunal continue batting through the pain in RCB vs MI match.
After the match, Krunal shared pictures on Instagram showing a noticeable injury scar on his abdomen.
Reports also claimed that he skipped RCB's practice session on Tuesday to focus on recovery and workload management ahead of the important game against KKR (as per The Sunday Guardian).
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As of now, the franchise has not released any official update regarding his availability. It is important to note that the RCB management may not want to take any unnecessary risks, especially as the playoffs approach.
Since the team is currently placed strongly in the top four, protecting Krunal for the later stages of the tournament could become a priority.
If not Krunal, then who will RCB pick?
If Krunal is unavailable for the match, RCB will likely bring Venkatesh Iyer. However RCB's team management would prefer to maintain their winning combination.
RCB's batting unit has delivered mixed performances recently. Virat Kohli has struggled for runs and registered two consecutive ducks, while Jacob Bethell is still trying to find consistency despite scoring 27 in the previous game.
On the positive side, Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal have been in excellent touch in the middle order.
Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd are yet to make major contributions this season. The bowling department, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, and Rasikh Salam, has looked solid and balanced.
If Krunal Pandya misses out, RCB will likely bring in Venkatesh Iyer as a replacement. His all-round abilities could provide balance to the side and strengthen both the batting and bowling departments.
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