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On-field sibling rivalry between Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya in the Mumbai Indians-Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2026 match at Wankhede Stadium had a dramatic turn. Krunal, who is a player with RCB, was especially very excited as he high-fived on the dismissal of MI captain Hardik when Hardik was dismissed on 40 of 22 deliveries by Jacob Duffy.

Romario Shepherd made the catch, and Krunal ran in excitedly, pumping his fists in an uncharacteristically violent gesture that immediately went viral. To compound it, the brothers seemed to evade eye contact even when it was time to shake hands after the match; no hugging or chatting occurred between them as compared to their usual friendly behavior.

The event has given rise to continued speculation of a rift between the Pandya brothers that began following the T20 World Cup 2026 that India won. Although Krunal had already refuted such a conversation as unfounded and stressed their fraternal relationship off the field, fans are split. The intense aspect of the IPL match was competition, yet the chilly atmosphere made fans of cricket guess about individual conflicts.