Krunal Pandya responds on rift with brother Hardik Pandya

The spin all-rounder of the Indian side, Krunal Pandya, has been an integral part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) when they defended their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, beating the Gujarat Titans in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, as he also broke the silence on the rift with his brother Hardik Pandya.

It had been a tough time for Hardik, under whose leadership the Mumbai Indians (MI) finished ninth in the points table among the ten franchises, having earned only four victories in 14 clashes at a net run rate of -0.584.

What Krunal actually said about the rumored fallout with Hardik

RCB became the third team to win consecutive IPL titles, ending a 17-year wait for their first trophy in 2025 when they got the better of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final at the same venue.

Krunal spoke about how they had been playing together for a long time and now have several trophies together in the Pandya family. He also addressed them having a good conversation with each other.

“Obviously, we have played together. We have always discussed cricket in terms of tactical and technical stuff, which always helps. It has always been a good conversation, a very healthy conversation about cricket and how we can get better.” Krunal said recently.

“When you have your brother also playing the same sport, it always helps each other. And, I mean, 10 trophies in the Pandya household is not a bad number to have. God’s been kind.” The Indian all-rounder added.

From "Team Pandya" to cold stares — How the brothers' on-field bond has changed in 2026

It was during the IPL 2026 clash between the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium, where Krunal welcomed Hardik into the middle with a short ball as the latter was surprised with the short ball whistling past him with full pace. The crowd erupted at the situation.

During the IPL 2026, Krunal smashed 226 runs in nine innings at an average of 37.66 and a fine strike rate of 145.80, including one fifty at the best score of 73 runs, which came against the Mumbai Indians at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. He also picked up 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.41.

Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, collected only 206 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 140. He hasn’t scored a single fifty since his return to the MI side in 2024. Meanwhile, he picked up only four wickets at an economy rate of 11.42 in IPL 2026, which is a shocking record.

Fans react as Hardik's silence after RCB's title win reignites rift talk

The fans reacted in different ways as Hardik showed silence after RCB won the title in IPL 2026 to make it back-to-back. Fans have also reacted on the possible trade news of Hardik ahead of 2027.