Krunal Pandya

One of the IPL's most dependable allrounders, Krunal Pandya has steadily built a reputation as a street-smart operator, a spinner who can bowl above 100kph, sling round-arm deliveries and even surprise batters with bouncers.

Encouraged by their cricket-obsessed father, Himanshu, Krunal and his younger brother, Hardik, spent countless hours playing together before training at Kiran More's academy in Vadodara. While Hardik landed the glittery international career early, Krunal was the one who snagged an eyebrow-raising Rs 2 crore contract (US$296,000) with Mumbai Indians in 2016, a signing that proved to be very fruitful, as across six seasons, Krunal contributed as a lower-order hitter, partnership-breaker and a reliable wicket-taker. Playing the 2017 season after recovering from surgery for a quadricep tear, Krunal finished as the player of the final, rescuing the side from a collapse with his title-winning 47 off 38 balls. A year later, MI bought him back for 24 times his base price, Rs 8.8 crore (US$1.37 million).

He also got his international break in 2018, when he replaced an injured Hardik in the T20I side against West Indies. He scored a nine-ball 21 not out and took 1 for 15 on debut at Eden Gardens. Not long after, he took 4 for 36 against Australia in Sydney, showing impressive resilience in bouncing back from figures of 0 for 55 at the Gabba. In February 2019, he took 3 for 28 in India's first T20I win in New Zealand. On ODI debut, against England in Pune in 2021, he smashed an unbeaten 58 off 31 balls. By then, doubts over his 50-over credentials had faded after a prolific 2020-21 Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign in which he scored 388 runs in five games at an average of 129.3.

- A year after they signed his younger brother Hardik, Mumbai Indians (MI) got Krunal Pandya in the IPL 2016 auction for INR 2 crore.

- A spin-bowling allrounder, Krunal quickly became a key part of a strong lower-middle order at MI alongside Hardik and Kieron Pollard.

- Krunal scored 237 runs, striking at 191.12, in his first IPL season, and took six wickets. His strike rate dropped the next year, but he was more effective with the ball. In the IPL 2017 final, he was Player of the Match for his 38-ball 47 in a low-scoring contest. In 2018, MI got him back in the auction for INR 8.80 crore.

- He continued to hold down his spot in the MI middle order as they won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, hitting the winning runs in the final in 2020 against Delhi Capitals (DC).

- Krunal went back into the auction in 2022 when two new teams joined the fray, and was snapped up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 8.25 crore. He played his part as LSG reached the IPL playoffs in their first two seasons.