You want to know Krunal Pandya's highest IPL score? Fine. It's 86. He hit that back in 2016 against Delhi. But here is the thing nobody tells you.
That 86 is a liar.
Because if you watch him bat today in 2026, you will never guess he once scored that many. His game has changed completely. And honestly? For the better.
I have followed Krunal since his MI days. I remember that 86. My roommate and I lost our minds because nobody expected a debutant to do that. But fast forward ten years. The guy barely crosses 30 with the bat now. So why do teams still pay him crores?
Let me explain. Because the stats sheets won't tell you this story.
The 86 Runs Knock: What Actually Happened That Night?
May 2016. Visakhapatnam.
Mumbai Indians were choking. Rohit Sharma got out cheap. Pollard failed. Then comes this skinny left-hander with a weird stance. Krunal Pandya.
He started hitting Chris Morris like Morris had stolen his lunch money. Six over long-on. Four through covers. Then another six.
He finished on 86 not out off just 37 balls.
That knock is still his Krunal Pandya IPL highest score. Nobody has come close to beating that number from his own bat. Not even in 2026.
But here is the sad part. He has never scored another IPL fifty after 2023. Not one.
I checked the scorecards twice because I couldn't believe it myself. But it's true. His last fifty-plus score in IPL was two years ago. So what happened?
Krunal Pandya IPL 2026: The Bowler Who Forgot He Can Bat
Right now, in the 2026 season, Krunal is bowling more than he bats. And he is bowling weird stuff.
I watched the RCB vs MI match on April 12 at Wankhede. Krunal came on to bowl in the 8th over. Flat pitch. Small boundaries. Normally spinners get murdered here.
What did he do?
He bowled a bouncer.
Yes. A left-arm spinner. Bowling a bouncer. On a road pitch.
The batter (Tilak Varma) backed away thinking it was a slower ball. It wasn't. It hit his shoulder. Next ball, Krunal tossed it up full. Tilak missed. Dot ball.
That is the Krunal Pandya IPL 2026 experience. He is not taking five-wicket hauls. He is bowling 4 overs for 26 runs and taking one wicket. That one wicket though? It breaks partnerships.
His bowling spans this season so far (4 matches):
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4 overs, 32 runs, 1 wicket (vs KKR)
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4 overs, 26 runs, 1 wicket (vs MI)
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3 overs, 28 runs, 0 wickets (vs GT)
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4 overs, 35 runs, 2 wickets (vs LSG)
Total: 15 overs, 121 runs, 4 wickets. Economy of 8.06.
In T20 2026, an economy under 8.5 is gold. Pure gold.
Krunal Pandya IPL Wickets: The 100 Club Is Coming
He is currently at 94 IPL wickets. Needs 6 more to reach 100.
Here is a pattern I noticed that no commentator talks about. Krunal takes most of his Krunal Pandya IPL wickets against teams that attack him first.
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Against SRH: 12 wickets. Economy 7.58.
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Against PBKS: 10 wickets. Economy 7.62.
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Against DC: 9 wickets. Economy 7.90.
But against CSK? Only 3 wickets in 13 matches. Dhoni and company just push him for singles and don't let him settle. That is the blueprint to beat him.
If you are a fantasy cricket player, here is my honest advice. Pick Krunal only when RCB plays SRH or PBKS. Avoid him against CSK and RR. He struggles against teams that rotate strike instead of hitting big.
Krunal Pandya IPL 2026 Price: 5.75 Crore. Fair or Robbery?
RCB paid ₹5.75 Crore to retain him before the 2026 auction. Let me compare this to other all-rounders in the same price bracket in 2026:
| Player |
Price |
Role |
| Krunal Pandya |
₹5.75 Cr |
Left-arm spin + lower order bat |
| Shahbaz Ahmed |
₹4.20 Cr |
Left-arm spin + bat |
| Washington Sundar |
₹8.00 Cr |
Off-spin + bat |
| Sam Curran |
₹12.50 Cr |
Left-arm pace + bat |
Is Krunal worth 5.75? Yes. But only if you use him right.
The problem? RCB sometimes sends him at No. 4. That is a mistake. I have seen it happen twice this season. He comes in when RCB needs 10 runs per over. Then he plays dots. Then he gets out. Fans get angry.
Send him at No. 7 or 8. Let him face only pace bowlers in the last three overs. That is where he scores.
The Honest Pros and Cons (No Hype, Just Facts)
What Krunal Does Well:
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Bowls dot balls. Nearly 1 in every 4 deliveries is a dot.
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Reads the game situation better than most Indian all-rounders.
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Bowls bouncers as a spinner. Unpredictable.
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Left-handed batter against right-arm pace. Mismatch advantage.
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Has won an IPL final as Player of the Match (2025).
What Krunal Does Poorly:
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Cannot bat against quality spin. Leg spinners like Rashid Khan eat him alive.
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His running between wickets is slow. Costs his partner run outs.
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Never scored an IPL century. Probably never will.
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His batting average dropped from 28 in 2020 to 18 in 2025.
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Gets frustrated when batters don't attack him. Starts bowling loose.
Who Should Buy His Jersey or Fantasy Card:
Who Should Avoid:
Why He Still Plays for RCB?
The 2025 final. RCB vs CSK. Chepauk.
Krunal bowled 4 overs. Took 2 wickets. Conceded 24 runs. CSK choked in the middle overs. RCB won their first title.
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After the match, Kohli hugged him for ten seconds. That is why he still plays.
Stats are stats. But captains remember who delivers on the big night. Krunal has that weird ability to take a wicket exactly when the opposition is about to accelerate. You cannot teach that.
His Krunal Pandya IPL highest score might be stuck at 86 forever. But his lowest economy in a final is 6.00. That matters more.
2026 So Far: The Numbers You Need
As of April 13, 2026:
Not superstar numbers. But RCB has won 3 out of 4 matches. Coincidence? No.
He is doing the dirty work. The kind that doesn't get you Man of the Match. But the kind that wins you tournaments.
Final Honest Verdict
Stop searching for Krunal Pandya IPL highest score if you want to understand his 2026 value. That number is a museum piece. It belongs to a different player.
The 2026 Krunal is a bowler who bats a little. He is not your fantasy captain. He is not your finisher. He is your insurance policy. When your main bowlers have a bad day, he gives you four safe overs. When your top order collapses, he scores a fighting 25.
Is he worth ₹5.75 Crore? Yes. But barely. He is exactly at the line where retaining him makes sense and releasing him also makes sense. That is the truth.
If they lose early, his batting failures will also be a reason. That is the life of a bits-and-pieces all-rounder. I like him though. Cricket needs more players like Krunal.
