After making a joke during Sunday's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI), former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and India batter Subramaniam Badrinath went viral on social media. Krunal Pandya, an all-rounder for the RCB, went to the ground clutching his leg due to cramps while batting in the middle. Badrinath said that, given the circumstances of the game, he would have considered "letting him die" as MI wicketkeeper Ryan Rickleton raced to assist him.

Krunal came up with a magnificent 46-ball 73 to keep the squad in the hunt after Mumbai destroyed the RCB top-order. But as the innings went on, Krunal began to have leg cramps.
"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 remarked after witnessing him fall due to the cramps.
In order to emphasise that Rickleton didn't disregard him and continued to assist, Badrinath, as a pundit, appears to have sarcastically exaggerated the "rival" perspective (hoping the cramp would sideline Krunal). However, the former Chennai batter's comment did not sit well with fans.

Bats Through Pain: Krunal Pandya
Following the match, Krunal talked about his will to keep batting for RCB in spite of cramping.Later on, cramps were obviously extremely severe. It began with the calf, hamstrings, glutes, and both legs. After the game, Krunal remarked, "I was having cramps." "But once more, I made it quite clear that I would not be going out. I'll persevere through that suffering and make sure to help the squad in every way I can."In addition, this was an extremely important game for us. Every game counts, particularly at the latter end of the competition," he stated.It was therefore very evident that I would overcome that suffering and make sure that I would help in every manner that I could."
When asked how he persevered in the face of excruciating cramps, Krunal answered it was all about his mindset and his capacity to stay focused under duress."I mean, sheer willpower, I'll say," he said. "Once more, if you look at how I've played cricket over time, you'll see that I've always persevered and always treasured those difficult circumstances. I didn't want to quit up because of my bravery and sheer willpower," he continued.