Fresh off back-to-back IPL titles with RCB and a fifth crown overall, Krunal Pandya, dressed in black trousers and an oversized graphic camp collar shirt, arrived as Guest Sports Editor for The Times Of India . After greeting reporters and photographers, he sat down for an hour-long chat. However, before starting the interview, he paused mid-step, spotted a Ganesha idol, slipped off his footwear and offered a quiet prayer before settling in. The composed, spiritual gesture contrasts with the bling he wears—hard-earned symbols of a journey shaped by struggle. From early days as a passport agent and car broker to mastering a high-scoring T20 era, Pandya sees cricket as a mirror of life—demanding resilience and reinvention. He spoke movingly about his late father Himanshu’s influence, the ragging he faces from his elder son, Kavir, aged four, the mental battles he has embraced, the hunger that still drives him and the hope for an India recall after five years. EXCERPTS...Five-time IPL winners, two of those back-to-back (2019-2020 with MI, 2025-2026 with RCB). Has it sunk in yet?Feels amazing. And to do it five times is something very special. For me, I have always manifested trophies in my life. It’s nice when you do well individually and win games, but if you win a trophy and contribute to it, there is no better feeling. God has been really kind, and I have been able to do it five times. But I feel like this is just the beginning; there is still a lot more left. Finger spin seemed to be a dying art, especially in this IPL where scores went through the roof. There were 62 scores of 200-plus, yet you came through with an economy of around eight. How did you embrace the challenge of bowling finger spin in such a batting-heavy era?I have realised that cricket, especially batting, has evolved in the IPL. To have longevity and impact as a bowler, you have to evolve too. The focus has always been on how I can get better and add more value to my skill set. I have also realised that between the skill battle, there is also a mental battle. Cricket is a sport full of uncertainty. Nothing is guaranteed. So, I have always focused on staying one step ahead mentally.Last year, I joined RCB for the first time. There was a huge motivation to win because the franchise had never won before, and personally, I hadn’t won a trophy in four or five years. Last season went really well.Coming into this season, I knew opponents would be better prepared against me. So before the tournament, I focused on how I could stay one step ahead. That’s where the bouncers and slingers came into the picture. It wasn’t about being unique or funny. There was a genuine thought process behind why, when and against whom I wanted to use them. It was a well-planned strategy.It was about breaking the norm that a left-arm spinner can’t bowl to a left-hander and finding ways to stay one step ahead. You last played for India five years ago. Since then, you’ve played for Lucknow and RCB. Talk us through that journey and how you’ve managed to stay at the highest level.There is no better feeling than playing for the country. When I was six or seven years old, there was no IPL. The biggest dream for any cricketer was to play for India. I dreamt about it my entire life and got that opportunity in 2018.In the 18 games I played, I did decently well. I won a Man of the Match in Australia and New Zealand and a Man of the Series in the West Indies. I had a good run with the Indian team. Later, when I got another opportunity in One-day cricket, I did pretty well again.I haven’t been part of the Indian team in the last three or four years, but the ultimate goal has always been to play for the country. Somewhere down the line, you mature and realise that you play this sport because you love it.I don’t think too much about selection now. Of course, I am human and there is disappointment at times. But I am at a stage where I want to do my job wherever I play. I want to win trophies, whether in domestic cricket or the IPL.Sometimes you have to remind yourself why you started playing cricket. I have immense love for the sport, and that’s what keeps me going. I don’t think too much about selection now. Of course, I am human and there is disappointment at times. But, you have to remind yourself why you started playing cricket. I have immense love for the sport, and that’s what keeps me going.What is it about finals that gets the best out of you? Could you talk about that Jos Buttler dismissal?I have always believed that preparation should be for the toughest situations. I know I can do well when things are easy, but what motivates me is performing when the stakes are high and things are going against me.I am a very reflective person, both in life and sport. A lot of that comes from my father. He was my role model. As a kid, I watched how courageous he was and how he never gave up. That attitude has stayed with me.Coming back to that dismissal, when I bowled my third over in the final, Buttler went for a big shot but got an inside edge for a single. I then had six balls to think because I knew I would bowl the fourth over. I felt he would line me up in the next over because he hadn’t got hold of me yet.I was thinking whether to bowl a bouncer or a wide yorker. I wanted to keep him guessing and outplay him mentally. Eventually, I decided on the wide yorker. It worked. He stepped out, got beaten, and was stumped.It was a very satisfying wicket because I had planned it, executed it, and got the result.Was the team also playing for the fans, especially considering what happened after last year’s victory parade?One hundred per cent. There is no doubt about it.It’s only been two years for me at RCB, but the amount of love I have received from fans everywhere has been incredible. Virat has said it before — for us, it’s like having 14 home games. It’s true. Whether it was Guwahati, Raipur or Ahmedabad, people were supporting RCB.The fans are the heartbeat of this team. They waited 18 years to taste success. They are a core part of the team and give us tremendous support.What happened last year was very unfortunate. My condolences to the families. This title was also for those who lost their lives and for the fans.What sets RCB apart from other teams? Why is the fan base so different?Honestly, that’s a question I am also trying to figure out.Whatever you say about RCB fans is not enough. The amount of love is overwhelming. I remember when I got picked by RCB two years ago, I was playing Ranji Trophy in Nashik and elderly people would come up and say, ‘Beta, this time RCB should win.’ Then little kids would say the same thing.My son is four years old and understands everything. He has been travelling with me for the last two years. He is probably the number one RCB fan. If I want to describe an RCB fan, I tell people to look at my son. He is obsessed with the team and the players. After winning back-to-back titles, what was the dressing-room atmosphere like?Everyone was really happy. There were smiles, laughter and celebrations everywhere.The IPL is a very tough tournament. You go through two-and-a-half months of grinding, with plenty of ups and downs. It’s not three or four games; it’s 14 games, and you see both the best and worst moments.The most satisfying feeling after winning is the sense of relief. The pressure you’ve carried for two-and-a-half months suddenly disappears. Everyone was happy, we celebrated, and now we’ll come back next year aiming for a third title.How much does your son understand cricket? Does he want to become a cricketer too?He understands quite a lot. His name is Kavir. I’ll tell you a funny incident. In the final, I got Buttler’s wicket but scored only one run. After the game, when I picked him up, the first thing he asked was, ‘Baba, why did you get out? Why did you play that shot? I told him we had won, but he still wanted an answer. That’s how involved he is. He knows every player, watches highlights and loves all the RCB players. He has amazing memories already, spending time with Virat, Tim David and the others. He’s only four and already wants to play cricket. Let’s see. Whatever makes him happy, I’ll support him. So he’s your biggest critic?There is no doubt about it. Sometimes I am genuinely scared of his questions. Against GT, I gave away 50 runs in four overs and he told me, ‘Baba, I was watching the highlights. You were getting hit for fours and sixes. Why were you bowling like this?’ He’s the only person I have no answers for because his questions are so on point.T20 is often described as a young man’s game. Yet RCB’s core includes players like Virat, Hazlewood and yourself, all in their mid-30s. How can RCB avoid the issues ageing teams have faced and remain successful in the future?At the end of the day, it all comes down to fitness.I see myself playing for another five to seven years. If I am bowling bouncers now, my goal next year is to get them up to 125-130 kmph.Virat, Hazlewood and I are all in great shape mentally and physically. Experience is something that only comes with time. When you combine experience with fitness, that’s probably the best place to be.To be honest, I understand the game much better now than I did five or six years ago. You gain experience, play more games and learn more.In terms of fitness and the group we have, I think we can go a long way.Speaking of fitness, how much does Virat motivate the group? Does he talk about it a lot?He leads by example.The hunger he still has to perform and win is inspiring. Sometimes people get satisfied after one or two successes, but then you see someone who has made excellence a habit.It all comes from preparation. You can still see his love for the game. If that love and hunger remain constant, the sky is the limit.You see it in his energy, fitness and consistency. After 11 games this season, he had two ducks and people asked me whether we were worried. I told them I was excited. He had two back-to-back zeros and then went out and scored a match-winning hundred.He inspires people in the dressing room and outside it through his actions.Has he personally inspired you?One hundred per cent.I am also someone who plays aggressive cricket and loves winning. That doesn’t mean I am a graceful loser, but I love winning.We have similarities in the way we approach the game. Over the years, I have spent a lot of time with him. Sharing a dressing room with him has been special.He is a leader in every sense of the word. There is no doubt about that.Did you enjoy your duels with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was the headline act of this IPL?Oh, yeah. We played one game against RR in Guwahati. In fact, I got his wicket as well.But boy, what a talent! At 15! Generational talent. To bat like that at 15. Even if you are 30, 40, or 25, to bat like this is commendable. But 15? And he’s not just slogging. That boy has brains. Look at how he batted in Qualifier-2 vs GT. He played the situation. I’m very eager to see how he continues his journey forward in the next ten years. RCB seemed so much calmer this year, compared to last year. What would you put that down to?I’ll give a lot of credit to the support staff. Last year, everyone was playing for the first time as they were coming from a different franchise. This year, there was a sense of calmness within the group because we had already spent one year, played 16 games, and there was a sense of assuredness. Everything seemed to be in control because we knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and a lot of credit goes to the support staff. Andy Flower, Mo Bobat, Dinesh Karthik Malolan, Omkar Salvi, Freddie. They gave the players a lot of role clarity. It’s important to imagine the IPL as a 10-year journey because it is such a long tournament. If there are small hurdles, you won’t even feel them. But if you are so attached that you want me to win the trophy, then that’s a lot of pressure. Why teams celebrate at the end of it is because the journey lasts two and a half months of gruelling cricket. The memories of lifting trophies no.1, 2, 3 and 4 will fade away with time. What will be remembered is the journey.The great Sachin Tendulkar recently said the impact sub rule should be scrapped. You are an all-rounder yourself. Do you think it hurts the development of all-rounders?I have always played cricket as an 11 vs 11 game. If you scrap the impact player rule, the battle becomes even. The essence of the game goes away when you have the impact player on. The beauty of this game is that you play the situation. The tactical changes you need to make. Should I bring my main bowler on, or should I squeeze one over out of the part-timer? Sometimes, the low-scoring 130-140 games are the most exciting. Even this year, LSG vs KKR and MI vs RCB in Raipur were the most exciting matches. More all-rounders will come into the game with the impact rule.Tendulkar also said the powerplays should be restricted to four overs for the batting team, and the fielding side should have the freedom to deploy extra fielders as per their choice, and he suggested one bowler should be allowed five overs.Yeah, that’s a good idea to have a bowler bowling five overs. If the God of cricket has said, then you have to listen. But these are good ideas. If you make it attractive for the bowlers, it is good. You had six years with MI, three vs LSG and two now with RCB. How difficult is it for a professional cricketer to adjust to a new franchise after every three-year cycle?It’s part and parcel of the profession. Rather than fighting for things that are not in your control, I have kept it simple. I just want to win. So, for me, the agenda, even when I go and play for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali or Vijay Hazare Trophy, is just to win. I just want to win the trophy. I’ve accepted the fact that it’s part and parcel of playing the sport and playing the IPL. I don’t think too much about it.How do you look at the data vs instinct debate? You are in a team that is data-driven and match-up driven?For me, data is information, but at the end of the day, it’s a combination of following your instinct with data. My early days were in Mumbai. And over there, I learnt a lot in terms of how to prepare. I’ve continued doing that. For me, knowing strengths and weaknesses about batters before playing the game gives me greater chances of success. But still, you can’t just go by data. Data is information, and at a particular moment, you just follow your instinct about what is right then.How late do you decide that you will bowl a bouncer or a slinger?It’s very instinctive. I don’t plan. When I’m at the top of my run-up, I’ve realised that it is important to narrow down my focus. Because accuracy is an important part of this sport. And then, it’s all very instinctive. Nothing is pre-planned.You spoke about how apart from being a skill-to-skill battle, you said cricket is also a mental battle. Now, we have known you as someone who’s a very emotional cricketer, who plays with a lot of pride, yet you also tend to perform very well under pressure. Is this something you’ve learned? Can this be taught? Or is this just within you and you either have it or you don’t have it?For me, I actually wait and I crave for situations where it is tough. I don’t know, I guess my way of playing cricket is actually what I’ve learned through my life. So, it’s a lot to do how, at a very young age, my... I’ll just go back to my growing up days. When I was 11-12 years old, I used to work with my dad. My dad was a passport advisor agent, so, at 12, I used to go with him. So, I experienced life through business with my dad, mom, at a very young age. And then I realized how tough life is. Sometimes our parents don’t tell us while we are growing up, and my parents were also like that. But I did that at 14-15, I used to be with my dad. I myself was a passport agent. I used to make ration cards for people.Then I used to be a car broker once upon a time. So, I’ve seen life at a very young age from very close quarters. So I guess when I play the sport, I play the same way. I don’t give up. And when the situation is tough, I’m like, ‘I have to win it’. And I have that understanding that, how can I cut off all the noise, the pressure and how I can focus on what is in my hand.Because what I’ve realized is that pressure is something where you have to hold your nerve and you have to be present, right? And I’m able to do that. And it’s just that, if it’s tough, I’m like, ‘I want to do it’. My face is like, ‘this time I have to do it’.So that attitude comes naturally. And I’ve always realized one thing. How you live your life the same way you will play the sport. Because at the end of the day, you only have one brain, It’s not that in cricket you will use another brain or you will do something else in life.So, I guess it’s all correlated. So, yeah, that has worked for me.What was the most expensive or fanciest car you sold?So, at that time we used to sell second-hand cars, right? So, it used to be 3-4 lakh rupees. You used to get a commission of Rs 3000, agent fee. I was a passport agent myself. I used to fill forms. I used to do affidavits. I used to do paperwork, everyone’s ration card, light bill, then two ID proofs, school leaving certificate, filling forms online, taking it, getting the Xerox copy, then getting the affidavit done,Then paper cuttings, I myself used to go to Times of India office. When people had two names, for example, Aashish Kumar and Aashish Bhai, so in the passport, you had to give in English and in Hindi, in paper cutting, right? So, I used to do all of that. Yeah, I have done lot of things. I did every work which was there to be done.Allrounder?All rounder (laughs) You and Hardik share a great bond, how often do you chat about cricket? Any thoughts on his struggles as MI captain this season?Obviously, we have played together. We have always discussed cricket in terms of tactical, technical stuff which always helps, right? When you have your brother also playing the same sport, or we are both in the same profession, it always helps each other in a way. So it has always been a good conversation, a very healthy conversation about cricket and how we can get better. And yeah, I mean, 10 trophies in the Pandya household is not a bad number to have. So yeah, God’s been kind.You spoke of your Dad a lot and the influence he had when you were growing up, five years back, when you lost him, you were playing a game of cricket, when the news came to you. How much did that change you as a person, and the way you approach your cricket?No doubt about it. I mean, you can’t replace your parents, right, at the end of the day. And when I lost my dad, that hole will be there forever in my life. Generally, I don’t like to speak about it because I’m very emotional. Though in matches, I look very aggressive and very arrogant, but off field when something happens to me, I am like a baby, I cry a lot.Yes, obviously, I’ve learned a lot through my dad because I always tell people that I started playing cricket when I was 6. Only after 2-3 years, I realised that I want to play for India. But the first dream was of my dad. His dream was to see me playing because HP was at that time 2-and-a-half years old. So he wanted me to play cricket and then he moved obviously from Surat to Baroda and yeah, my dad was a great role model. He saw a lot of ups and downs in his life in every way, but one constant thing what I saw and which, over a period of time, I’ve absorbed that in me, is that willpower.I never saw my dad crying or cribbing about why this is happening to me or this is wrong what happened to me. My dad was like, ‘We’ll figure it out’. So that willpower, that never-giving-up attitude came from my dad. Actually not many people know, he had a heart attack in 2008. I was 17 or 18, HP was 14-15. At that time, doctor said that he doesn’t have much time left because he has a lot of blockages in his heart and you have to get rid of those blockages and then he had numbness. He said he won’t live more than 6-7 months.For me, it was a heart breaking thing and then I started crying at that time. In that particular moment I put everything to one side and said, ‘I want to make it. Enough of this, now I have to do something’. That sort of thing. And that’s why I have a lot of gratitude towards life that my dad was able to see both brothers playing for the country, both brothers playing in IPL, seeing us on television. He saw everything but in 2021 he passed away, which was a very tough moment for me, but you have to move on with life.I always tell people and young kids that, no matter what spend as much time as you can spend with your parents, because if you don’t do that you will regret it your entire life. But if you do spend time with your parents, then whenever you’ll remember them you’ll celebrate them more than have regret. So yeah, I miss him, but such is life, you have to move on.You mentioned that clutch mentality of especially delivering in the finals. I have listed a few moments of your performances in the final and maybe you can choose 1 to 5 — The 47 versus RPS at Hyderabad, the run out of Watson versus CSK again at Hyderabad, the stumping in the same match to get Faf (du Plessis) out, the single to cover off Nottier to hit the winning runs versus DC, the floaty delivery to Prabhsimran last year, or the faster one to Englis to have him caught because he had hit you for a six before that, or the wide-fastest delivery, obviously you spoke about it to get Buttler out, which among these contributions in the five finals you played is dearest to you?That’s a very tough question, genuinely, because every contribution got us that trophy also. Like getting that Watson run out was very important because he was batting well and you know we won by one run. I guess Prabhsimran ball, because in the final, to bowl at 85. And I liked it more because everyone says ‘he’s very street-smart, he does this, he does that’, but I just bowled a left-arm orthodox ball and got him out. So that was pretty special and yeah, RPS 47, because I remember in the strategic timeout, we were 70 for 7 and Mitchell Johnson came and batted with me. I was like, ‘no matter what, I am not getting out till 20th over’. So that was pretty special. Again, just my second season in IPL, first title. Last year was very special, quite overwhelming, so very difficult to pick. Coming back to the balance of the game, currently of course fans are really taking to these six-hitting frenzies, but speaking to the bowler in you, are you concerned that at some point, the appetite for these mega-run fests will diminish and that’s something the authorities need to be mindful of?I mean, some of the rules will change, so you will see a drastic change in terms of scoring as well. Everyone is very vocal about having that balance between bat and ball. So I guess if that is done, then again bowlers will come into play.Obviously now, for example, last year, this year, we had an impact player rule. Everyone knew that there are eight batters, gun batters. I guess sometimes, rather than dwelling too much on it, you know as a bowler that it’s not in your hand, this is what the reality is. So rather than talking about that, I looked at it like ‘this is the reality, how can I figure out? How can I now have an impact as a bowler?’ So it boils down to that also rather than dwelling too much into it.But, yeah, I guess once we change, if the impact player rule goes, there will be a massive shift in the scoring. Because right now, you have eight batters, proper. Now when the impact player rule goes, suddenly your seventh is an allrounder who has to bowl four overs. Suddenly in top 6, you need someone who can give you two overs. So the whole dynamics change. Now imagine right now if you are batting at number 4 or 5, you know there is a batter at 8. So your approach towards the game is very different. But if you are batting at 4, 5, and you know that number 7 is an allrounder and 6 is an allrounder, your approach changes. So I guess that rule will change the entire way of looking at the game.Next year is going to be the 20th anniversary of the IPL. Do you feel that the league maybe needs to innovate, like introducing a bonus point for winning by a certain margin, or when you win away, give that particular team more points? Won’t it allow teams placed at the bottom of the table to mount a challenge towards the playoffs?I don’t think so. This is my point of view. It’s a 14 game-season, right? So every team is getting the same amount of chances, opportunities and a shot for the trophy. So I think this is the best what they have done. In fact, I like the rule that the top two teams have one more shot because then that’s an advantage and you are rewarded for playing consistently over 14 games, which is a great rule. Like imagine GT was in top two and they lost against us (in Qualifier 1), they still had one more shot which is very fair how it is structured.So I don’t think there has to be any more changes because there is a value of run-rate as well. You have that thing if you finish early, your run-rate goes higher, if you lose badly, your run-rate goes down. So I guess it’s pretty fair. You have to play consistent cricket to be there.Are you hopeful of an India comeback or do you feel the selectors have moved beyond you?Yeah, hope is always there, right? I am hopeful that I’ll get the opportunity again to play for the country. Fingers crossed, but I am hopeful.In the top 10 wicket takers, there was only one spinner, Rashid Khan and even if you look at the economy rates, the only person in the top 10 was Sunil Narine. You were, in fact, one of the most successful spinners in the competition. Does this worry you that the Indian spinners didn’t really have much of an impact this time?I mean, there have been impacts by the spinners as well if you see. It’s just that you have to evolve, that is very important and it’s not a worry. I think we are going really well in terms of bowlers and in terms of allrounders. I don’t see any worry in that. But yeah, it is very important to evolve and get better.