"Worth fighting for": Krunal Pandya displays battle scars after gritty victory

RAIPUR: Following a high-stakes victory over Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Krunal Pandya took to Instagram to reveal the physical toll of his match-winning performance. Sharing a photo of a vivid abdominal bruise sustained during the game, Pandya captioned the story: "Some scars are proof that it was worth fighting for."

The all-rounder’s grit was the defining feature of the contest. Despite suffering multiple body blows and battling severe muscle cramps that saw him collapse in pain mid-innings, Pandya anchored the RCB chase on a tricky Raipur surface. His defiant 73 off 46 deliveries—decorated with five sixes and four boundaries—repaired the damage of a disastrous start that saw Virat Kohli fall for his second consecutive golden duck.

The chase of 167 went down to the final ball. Chasing 15 runs off the last over delivered by Raj Angad Bawa, a combination of extras and a sensational maximum from Bhuvneshwar Kumar swung the momentum. With two needed off the final delivery, Rasikh Salam Dar struck the ball into the deep and scrambled for the winning runs to seal a two-wicket victory.

The result catapults RCB to the top of the standings with 14 points, while simultaneously ending the Mumbai Indians' hopes of a playoff berth this season.