Mumbai Indians gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was once again at his absolute best against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Thursday.
Bumrah admitted that T20 is a difficult format for the bowlers with time restrictions and impact player rule. The impact substitute rule has added depth to all batting units.
Bumrah said the new ball only swings for two overs and he wants to make an impact in the Powerplay overs. The ace bowler bagged two wickets in his opening over against PBKS as he got rid of Rilee Rossouw and Sam Curran. Bumrah rattled the South African’s stumps with his trademark yorker.
Subsequently, Bumrah returned to bamboozle a well-settled Shashank Singh, who scored 41 runs, with a slower ball. The MI pack leader returned with figures of 3-21 and played a key role in their defense of 192 runs.
Bumrah was awarded the Player of the Match for another fine bowling performance and playing a crucial in his team’s nine-run win.
He said in the post-match presentation, “This was a close game. Much closer than what we thought it would go. Of course, you want to make an impact when the ball does something. In this format, the ball swings two overs. When I want to bowl more, I play Test cricket. That fulfills my desires.”
He added, “This format is a little difficult for bowlers, with time restrictions and impact player rules. The batting lineup becomes deeper and deeper. But that’s not in your control. I do relay the message to the bowlers whenever I can. But you also don’t want to deliver too many messages in the heat of the moment.”
Bumrah has bagged 13 wickets in seven matches and he is currently the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2024. Mumbai Indians will next take on Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Monday.
