Krunal stays firm despite 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 run-scorer (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 Mumbai.
MOST BOUNDARIES
As of Monday, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir has notched up the most number of boundaries by an individual in IPL 2017.
Gambhir has struck 30 fours in five innings.
Following him on the list of most fours by a single batsman is Sunrisers Hyderabad’s David Warner (26 fours from five matches) and Rising Pune Supergiant skipper Steve Smith (19 fours from four matches).
Gambhir has also struck the most fours in a single innings so far with his 12 boundaries against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot on April 7.
He occupies the second spot as well with 11 fours against Kings XI Punjab at Kolkata Knight Riders’ home ground Eden Gardens on April 13.
Gambhir, who also played for Delhi Daredevils previously, continues to lead the IPL’S all-time most fours list with 452 boundaries from 136 innings.
He is followed by Suresh Raina’s 373 fours from 147 innings (for Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions) and Virat Kohli’s 367 fours from 133 innings (all for Royal Challengers Bangalore).
TEAM CONTRIBUTIONS
Kolkata Knight Riders lead the franchises in fours, striking 522 blows to the boundary so far in the tournament.
Seven Kolkata Knight Riders players have contributed to the team’s 78 fours in IPL 2017.
In terms of variety, Rising Pune Supergiant have had contributions from more players than any other team.
Rising Pune Supergiant have struck 68 fours with 12 players contributing to them; more than any other team.