NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya‘s journey to becoming a five-time IPL champion is a story of grit, sacrifice and resilience. Before IPL titles, India caps and recognition, Krunal’s daily routine revolved around paperwork, affidavits and helping people buy second-hand cars for a small commission.Fresh off back-to-back IPL titles with RCB and a fifth IPL crown overall, Krunal reflected on the struggles that shaped him long before cricket brought fame and success. From working as a passport agent alongside his father Himanshu Pandya to brokering second-hand cars, the left-arm spinner believes the lessons learned away from the cricket field helped him thrive under pressure.In an exclusive interaction with Times of India, Krunal explained why difficult situations bring the best out of him and how his upbringing shaped his approach towards cricket and life.“I actually wait and crave for situations where it is tough. I don’t know, I guess my way of playing cricket is actually what I’ve learned through my life. So, it’s a lot to do how, at a very young age, my… I’ll just go back to my growing up days. When I was 11-12 years old, I used to work with my dad. My dad was a passport advisor agent, so, at 12, I used to go with him. So, I experienced life through business with my dad, mom, at a very young age. And then I realized how tough life is. Sometimes our parents don’t tell us while we are growing up, and my parents were also like that. But I did that at 14-15, I used to be with my dad. I myself was a passport agent. I used to make ration cards for people,” Krunal said.The influence of his late father remains central to Krunal’s outlook on life and cricket. Having witnessed life’s realities at a young age, he says those experiences taught him never to back down from a challenge and helped him embrace pressure situations rather than fear them.“Then I used to be a car broker once upon a time. So, I’ve seen life at a very young age from very close quarters. So I guess when I play the sport, I play the same way. I don’t give up. And when the situation is tough, I’m like, ‘I have to win it’. I’ve always realised one thing. You play the sport the way you live your life. Because at the end of the day, you only have one brain, It’s not that in cricket you will use another brain and another brain for life.“
Long before he was lifting IPL trophies with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Krunal was spending his days helping people complete paperwork, arrange documents and navigate government processes. He also worked as a car broker, earning modest commissions on second-hand vehicle sales.Asked about the fanciest car he sold during his days as a broker, Krunal laughed and recalled the humble reality of those years.“We used to sell second-hand cars. It used to be 3-4 lakh rupees. You used to get a commission of Rs 3000, agent fee. I was a passport agent myself. I used to fill forms. I used to do affidavits. I used to do paperwork, everyone’s ration card, light bill, then two ID proofs, school leaving certificate, filling forms online, taking it, getting the Xerox copy, then getting the affidavit done, visiting Times of India office for name corrections via paper cuttings. Yeah, I have done a lot of things.”
What do you think contributed most to Krunal Pandya’s success?
Krunal, one of the IPL’s most successful players, with five titles to his name, played a key role in RCB’s successful title defence in IPL 2026. In 16 matches, he scored 226 runs at a strike rate of 145.80 and also claimed 14 wickets.
