On jitesh sharma

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik highlighted the growing influence of left-arm spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya, saying that he should be regarded as a trend-setter because of his pushing the boundaries of what a finger-spinner should be in T20 cricket.

Krunal’s knack for being an innovative left-arm spinner has been on full display in IPL 2026 – by bowling a surprise bouncer, while switching between slinging deliveries and conventional arm ball, and varying his pace cleverly – to deceive the batters. Due to his ever-evolving skill sets, Pandya has picked up eight wickets from seven matches at an average of 28.75 and an economy rate of 9.20.

“Krunal Pandya is a player that this game is going to remember for a long time because he is doing something that has not been done before - pushing the boundaries of what a finger-spinner means. He is bowling deliveries that people really couldn't fathom a few years ago, and he is becoming a master at it.