Krunal Pandya emerges as missing link in Mumbai turnaround

Mumbai Indians' biggest worry this season, like many other teams in the IPL, has been finding the right balance. Critical to this was a bowling allrounder who could act as the link between the batsmen and what looked like a long tail with Harbhajan Singh often coming in at No. 7.

Mumbai tried Shreyas Gopal, Vinay Kumar and J Suchith in the first two games with little success, but when Krunal Pandya was given an audition against Gujarat Lions, he covered that vital base.

Krunal, 25, was on Mumbai's radar as early as two years ago, but a shoulder injury ruled him out last season, when his younger brother Hardik shot to fame. The franchise, though, hadn't given up on Krunal and in this year's auction acquired his services for Rs 2 crore.

In his IPL debut against Gujarat, Krunal whipped up an unbeaten 11-ball 20 to push Mumbai's total past 140, and and picked up 1 for 20 in four overs to give Lions a few jitters in their last-ball victory. On Monday night, Krunal made an unbeaten 49 off 28 to help Mumbai achieve a decent total against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Having batted twice in the tournament, he is yet to be dismissed.

On Wednesday, Krunal was tasked with another difficult assignment against Royal Challengers Bangalore, a heavy-duty batting side despite Chris Gayle's absence. They had zoomed to 89 for 1 in 10 overs, with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers having already added 57 for the second wicket.

Rohit Sharma brought back Krunal, who gave away 10 runs in his first over, including three wides. Facing the second ball of Krunal's second over, Kohli jumped out of the crease only to find the ball out of reach, and served up a catch to long-off. Krunal set off on a celebratory run that was just a notch below his younger brother Hardik's on the whacko meter.

Three balls later, de Villiers shied away from leg stump and Krunal, from wide of the crease, spun the ball hard and landed it slightly shorter than the batsman expected. De Villiers had to reach out to account for the turn, and in the process dragged his back leg out of the crease. This time Krunal unfurled the aeroplane celebration, lapping nearly half the ground before stopping for an ungainly jig. Krunal had comfortably outdone Hardik this time. So much for his claims of being the calmer of the two.

Krunal didn't just dismiss two batsmen who have contributed 353 of the 588 runs that Royal Challengers have scored the season so far, he also potentially shaved 20 to 30 runs off Mumbai's target. Krunal continued to muzzle the other batsmen, especially Shane Watson, alternating quicker, flatter deliveries - upwards of 100 kph - with slower, flighted ones with little change in action. He beat Watson once and struck him on the pad as only two runs came from his third over. Krunal's spell coincided with an ultimately decisive slowdown in Royal Challengers' scoring, as they managed only 34 runs from overs 11 to 16.

Krunal looked in control for most part, rushing through his overs and disorienting the batsmen in a manner similar to Ravindra Jadeja. He was fussy about the field he wanted and at one point he seemed dissatisfied with the one Rohit had set. Rohit promptly realigned it to Krunal's requirement.

There was a hint of the erratic in Krunal's last over when he sent down a low-slung round-armer - as if he were hurling a rock in a tense agitation - that went for five wides well down the leg side. But the injection of energy Krunal provides is welcome in a side that has struggled for momentum.

"He has been impressive, no doubt about that," Rohit said. "Today getting those two important wickets in the middle was very crucial from the team's perspective. I think he's got something about him. He knows his bowling really well and he understands the conditions really well. It makes my job easier as captain. He sets his own field. When as a bowler you can set your own field it shows that you have got a lot of confidence in your bowling."

Krunal had told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the tournament that Hardik's input about the Mumbai side and the IPL had helped him remain "one step ahead" in his preparation. The heads-up has come in handy to him and, at the most opportune moment, to his team.