India, May 11 -- Amid the usual sixes and fours in IPL 2026, Krunal Pandya, on Sunday, provided, through his innings, a breath of fresh air.

Wickets are flat, boundaries are small, and batsmen are running amok like bulls towards matadors. This has been an overwhelming leitmotif this IPL season. And it does introduce boredom. How often can one see things repeat themselves again and again?

But the Raipur pitch was not like anything we have seen so far. The boundaries were bigger, too. Chasing 167 to win against Mumbai Indians, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and captain fantastic Rajat Patidar were back in the dugout inside six overs. The ball was doing a lot on a double-paced deck. Deepak Chahar and Corbin Bosch took full advantage of that...