IPL 2026 Final: How did Krunal Pandya dismiss Jos Buttler in the IPL 2026 final? What did Sachin Tendulkar say while praising Krunal Pandya’s bowling? What was the impact on Gujarat Titans’ innings after the wicket of Jos Buttler?
In big matches like the IPL final, there often comes a moment which changes the direction of the entire match. Something similar was seen in the final of IPL 2026, when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) experienced all-rounder Krunal Pandya presented such an example of his cleverness and cricketing understanding, which gave a big blow to the hopes of Gujarat Titans (GT).
It is not easy for any bowler to dismiss a world-class batsman like Jos Buttler, but the manner in which Krunal stumped him impressed cricket lovers as well as the great batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
Dominance of RCB bowlers in the final
Gujarat Titans did not have a good start in the title match of IPL 2026. The team lost the wickets of captain Shubhman Gill and star batsman Sai Sudarshan in the initial overs itself. After this, all the hopes of the team were pinned on the experienced English batsman Jos Buttler. Butler is considered a player in big matches and has single-handedly changed the course of the match many times. But this time Krunal Pandya’s strategy proved costly for him.
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How did Jos Buttler get trapped?
The 13th over of Gujarat Titans’ innings was going on. Jos Buttler seemed set at the crease and was trying to score runs quickly. In such a situation, the captain handed the ball to Krunal Pandya.
On the very first ball of the over, Butler came out of the crease with the intention of playing a big shot. Krunal sensed the batsman’s intention and at the last moment increased the speed of the ball and put it on the wide yorker line.
Buttler tried to reach the ball and cut it, but missed it completely. The ball went straight into the gloves of wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma and he stumped Buttler without making any mistake. This wicket proved to be a big blow to Gujarat’s innings.
Sachin Tendulkar praised openly
This brilliant bowling of Krunal Pandya was discussed a lot on social media also. Great cricket batsman Sachin Tendulkar also praised his cricketing understanding. Sachin wrote on the social media platform
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Krunal shines with tight bowling
Krunal Pandya bowled very disciplined in a stressful match like the final. He gave only 23 runs in his four overs and got the wicket of Jos Buttler, one of the most dangerous batsmen of the team. His line, length and ability to understand match situations made him one of RCB’s most effective bowlers.
Gujarat Titans’ batting was a flop
After Butler’s dismissal, Gujarat Titans’ batting completely faltered. The team could score only 155 runs after losing 8 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.
For Gujarat, Washington Sundar batted hard and scored unbeaten 50 runs. However, apart from him, no other batsman could cross the 20-run mark.
RCB bowlers maintained the pressure from the beginning till the end, which resulted in Gujarat’s low score.
Krunal Pandya’s dismissal of Jos Buttler in the final of IPL 2026 was not just a wicket, but a great example of cricketing intelligence and match awareness. One of his balls broke the backbone of Gujarat Titans’ innings and gave RCB a strong position in the match. This is the reason why even great players like Sachin Tendulkar could not stop themselves from praising him.
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