Krunal more determined after getting past hurdles
Krunal Pandya was not a well-known name when he was picked by Mumbai Indians in the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for ~2 crore. Most knew him as the elder brother of India all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
However, Krunal quickly proved his worth in the team with impressive all-round performances, and this year he has been one of the best performers till now.
However, the journey has not been smooth for the 26-year old from Baroda.
The 2016 IPL season could not have gone better for Krunal as he was the star for Mumbai Indians. He scored 237 runs in 12 matches with a strike rate of 191.12. Although he took only six wickets, his controlled bowling made him the perfect partner to Harbhajan Singh.
Just after the IPL, Krunal was sidelined with an injury that ruined his Ranji Trophy debut season for Baroda. Playing against Gujarat in Jaipur, he tore his left quadriceps while fielding on the third day of the encounter. It was the same injury that bothered him before the start of IPL 2016 and surgery resulted in him missing the entire Ranji season.
It was a huge blow as there was talk of Krunal getting a spot in the ODI series against Zimbabwe.
The injury was a minor obstacle as Krunal came back with renewed passion. The 26-year old made his comeback in the VIjay Hazare Trophy and his impact was almost instantaneous. He was the highest runscorer (366 from eight matches) and wickettaker (11 from eight matches) for his team.
Thanks to his all-round performance, Baroda were able to reach the semifinals of the tournament.
The all-rounder has been able to maintain the momentum going into IPL 2017 and has been one of the key players for Mumbai this season. He has 88 runs in four innings with a strike rate of 144.26. Krunal has also been a consistent performer with the ball and an economy rate of 6.85 has been an asset for MI.