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Krunal Pandya was evidently emotional after guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) and recalled his time at the franchise while also opening up on the bond he shared with his younger brother Hardik Pandya as well as club legend Kieron Pollard.

Krunal was the star of the show as the defending champions defeated the five-time champions by two wickets in a last-ball thriller on Sunday (May 10) at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium in Raipur. Krunal was RCB's top scorer as they chased down a total of 167 after being promoted up the order. Walking out to number five after the hosts were reduced to 37-3, the all-rounder proved his worth with the bat after being key to the franchise's success with the ball throughout the season. The 35-year-old 73 runs in 46 balls with a strike rate of 158.70 in a knock that included four boundaries and five sixes. Krunal Pandya Emotional After RCB Beat Former Side Krunal shared a long embrace with Pollard after the match ended. Being asked about the side by Ian Bishop, the four-time IPL winner claimed that the West Indian cricket legend is like an elder brother to him. He also called himself and Pollard the engine room of the franchise during their successful days. "Polly (Kieron Pollard) is my big brother, right? I mean, I had my best six years in MI. I remember when the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard were the engine room. We won a lot of games with batting, ball, and fielding. I still remember in 2021 when we were playing our last game, we hold three of us held each other's hands, and we felt like, okay this is the last time we'll be able to play together," and yeah, it was obviously an emotional moment again, but I love Kieron Pollard. "I mean, he's a terrific human being, GOAT of this format, won so many trophies, so many games. And yeah, as they say, you're right, Polly always used to tell me that you can't keep a good man down," said Krunal in an interaction with the broadcasters after the match.

 

 

  Hardik, Krunal, Pollard MI's Engine Rooms Hardik, who is MI's skipper, was not playing the match today due to a back injury. The brothers had left the franchise together before the 2022 mega auction, but Hardik returned ahead of the 2024 season in a trade deal and was appointed their captain. Krunal was a key part of MI's title wins in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Meanwhile, Hardik helped the franchise win the title in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Pollard was part of all five title wins. He is currently MI's batting coach after retiring from the IPL post the 2022 season. However, he is still an active player and features in several other leagues, including for MI franchises in the Major League Cricket (MLC) and the ILT20. Pollard played only for MI in his IPL career from 2010 to 2022. Both Hardik and Kurnal started their careers at the franchise in 2015 and 2016, respectively.