Krunal Pandya rattles Nicholas Pooran with 119kmph bouncer exchange

Krunal Pandya sparked a brief heated exchange with Nicholas Pooran after bowling two bouncers in succession in the IPL clash between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The moment came in a match where Lucknow were under immense pressure, with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

Ekana Stadium flashpoint

Krunal opened the confrontation with a 119kmph bouncer to Pooran on the first ball the left-hander faced. He followed it with another bouncer on the next delivery, and Pooran got some bat on it before taking a single.

After the single, Pooran walked close to Krunal and the two exchanged a few words. The moment looked slightly heated on camera, though both players moved on quickly afterward.

Pressure on Lucknow Super Giants

The exchange landed in a match with real weight for Lucknow. A defeat would all but end their chances of reaching the playoffs, and the contest was repeatedly broken up by rain at the Ekana Stadium on Thursday.

Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to field, while Lucknow had already lost Arshin Kulkarni earlier in the innings. By the time of the third rain interruption, they were still down only one wicket, with Mitchell Marsh and Pooran at the crease.

Marsh keeps the innings moving

Marsh later answered the stop-start night with a century off just 49 balls. That left Lucknow in a strong position despite the interruptions and the early dismissal, with the innings pushing toward the 220-run mark.

For RCB, Krunal’s spell had already delivered the wicket of Arshin, and the back-to-back bouncers added another edge to a game that had no shortage of pressure. For Lucknow, the batting response stayed intact through the rain and the brief confrontation, with Pooran still in the middle after the exchange.