IPL 2026 | 'You die from that cramp': Ex-CSK star's remark on Krunal Pandya sparks fan outrage
Krunal Pandya battled severe cramps to anchor Royal Challengers Bengaluru's thrilling IPL 2026 chase against Mumbai Indians in Raipur. His resilient 73, despite immense pain, kept RCB alive. While fans lauded his grit, former cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath's controversial remark about 'letting him die' drew criticism.
Pandya emphasized sheer willpower and courage in overcoming the painful cramps.
NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya battled cramps on a difficult Raipur surface where stroke-making remained challenging throughout the thrilling IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians in Raipur. Krunal anchored RCB’s tense chase with a fighting 73 while wickets kept falling regularly at the other end. Battling cramps in the latter half of his innings, the left-hander combined resilience with calculated aggression to keep RCB alive before Bhuvneshwar Kumar sealed the tense chase with a six in the final over.
His innings was applauded by many fans, cricketers and former cricketers as well. But former Chennai Super Kings and India batter Subramaniam Badrinath grabbed attention for a comment he made during the RCB vs MI match. As Krunal struggled in pain due to cramps and fell to the ground holding his leg during the game, Badrinath jokingly remarked that he would have thought about “letting him die”.
"Look there, he already had a cramp in his leg... it's as if the opposition said, 'Hey, you die from that cramp! ' - but even then, it's okay (Rickleton helped him)," Badrinath said while watching Krunal fall due to cramps.