Ahmedabad, May 31 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru left-arm spin bowling all‑rounder Krunal Pandya said he relishes the atmosphere of high‑stakes cricket, and called the IPL 2026 final ‘pretty exciting’ as the defending champions prepare to defend their title against Gujarat Titans in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The Narendra Modi Stadium was the venue of RCB’s first title triumph in 2025, where Krunal was adjudged Player of the Match for a match-winning spell of 2-17 in his four overs.

“I mean, it’s been good till now. I hope I continue that consistency (of being in four finals and winning all). The pressure in those games is much higher, and I like that because it helps me keep my nerves calm so I can execute the necessary skills in that particular moment. I enjoy, I love this sort of atmosphere.

“And that’s what you play the sport for, right? So like something like this, a big final, 120,000 people here. You work really hard as a team for two and a half months and then you have one game to play for the trophy. So it’s pretty exciting for me,” Pandya said in a pre-game chat with the broadcasters.

On the favourites tag associated with RCB, Pandya stated, “That’s what everyone else speaks about it. But what I have realised with my experience of 11 years playing in this league is nothing comes easy. You have to grind every run, every wicket, every ball, every game.

“So regardless whether you are a favourite or whether you are underdogs, regardless how many games you have won before, on that particular day, you have to just go out there and execute your skill because the beauty of this tournament is that every team has so many match winners. When you see match winners, that means on that particular day they can win you games. So you just have to be on your ‘A’ game from ball one to the last ball.”

Pandya also welcomed the short break between RCB winning Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala and the final in Ahmedabad helping the side rejuvenate and execute their skills on the big day with a fresh mind.

“I mean, yes, I won’t deny that fact because it’s almost two and a half months into the tournament, right? And before playing the finals, if you get that three, four days break, that’s a really good time to recover well and be fresh for the game. So that’s a bit of an advantage. But again, where we play, everyone’s fitness level is top notch. So again, it boils down to how you go out there and execute your skill.”

–IANS

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