Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 25 : Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower classified spin bowling all-rounder Krunal Pandya as an "important pick" for the franchise during last year's mega auction, as the seasoned ball-tweaker continues to play the role of an unsung hero in RCB's quest for a maiden IPL trophy in the ongoing edition.
Krunal has been the nucleus behind Bengaluru's dominance in the middle overs throughout the season. On a tricky surface that loosened in the second innings against the Rajasthan Royals, Krunal shrouded his variations in a veil of pace to stage the visitors' downfall in the pulsating 206-run target.
Rajasthan attempted to pull off a 206-run heist, but Krunal dented their hopes heavily by striking on his first ball to remove the stand-in captain, Riyan Parag. It wasn't his usual quicker delivery but a slowed-up variation that turned and induced a top edge from Parag's attempted slog sweep that flew in Jitesh Sharma's gloves.
"Krunal was a very important pick for us in the auction. We liked his all-around capabilities, but also his experience. He has experienced winning the IPL, he has experienced captaining in the IPL, and he has played international cricket. He also has got fire in his belly, and I really like that. Obviously, both brothers do. So he was an important pick for us in the auction," Flower told reporters in the post-match press conference.
When Rajasthan tried to close the gap and bring the equation down to 72 needed from 40 deliveries, Krunal outwitted Nitish Rana to sweep a back-of-length armer to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, stationed at short fine-leg to get his second scalp of the night.
The seasoned ball tweaker wreaked havoc in his four-over spell, bowled in tandem with Suyash Sharma, and returned with figures of 2/31 to play his part in the Royal Challengers' first home win of the season.
Flower credited the franchise's spin bowling coach, Malolan Rangarajan, who has worked closely with Krunal and devised different tactics that the 34-year-old has been able to deploy to achieve success.
"I think he has done some good work with our spin coach. I think he is an excellent all-round coach. I think they have some good conversations about the tactics that Krunal is employing. They have been working well together. It is great to watch him operate like that," he added.
The Royals tried to orchestrate a late comeback through Dhruv Jurel. Still, Josh Hazlewood's blistering spell in the death overs took away any hopes of walking away with victory, as RCB relished an 11-run triumph and Rajasthan rued its fifth straight defeat.