No longer the bowling force they once were, Mumbai Indians want to use Bumrah across all phases, but there may be more merit in changing tactics.
Are Mumbai Indians utilising their best bowling resource as well as they possibly could? The question is on everyone’s mind after IPL’s box office team are off to a poor start with two successive defeats. Arguably the numero uno fast bowler in T20 cricket, Jasprit Bumrah has bowled only one over in the powerplay – the 4th over in both of MI’s matches so far. Gujarat Titans had raced to 27/0 before Bumrah arrived. In the next match, Sunrisers Hyderabad had zoomed to 40/0 when the pace ace was brought on to apply the brakes.
Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah celebrates(PTI)
It’s not just the fans who are giving Hardik Pandya a difficult time. Even pundits have expressed dismay at new MI skipper’s tactics. From 45/0, SRH galloped to 173/3 before Bumrah was reintroduced. “Where is Jasprit Bumrah?? Game nearly done and your best bowler has only bowled ONE over!” Tom Moody, former SRH head coach, said on X.
Hindustan Times – your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.
Moody wasn’t the only one with doubts. As it turned out, even Bumrah couldn’t hold SRH back as they amassed a record 277 on a batting paradise at Hyderabad. Bumrah still got the dressing room medal for his 0/36 while the rest of their bowlers conceded from 11.5 to 17 runs per over. It’s time for MI to consider if they can use Bumrah more aggressively.
It may have been the captain’s call, but in today’s day and age, there’s always a guidance that comes from the analysts’ table. Let’s see what data of the past five IPL editions Bumrah has played (2018-22 &24) shows. Does it encourage Bumrah’s limited use in the powerplay?
There’s some merit, but a lot of it has got to do with the blunted force that MI’s bowling attack is now. And it’s not the only way.
By any yardstick, Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the shortest format. He chokes the run flow (ER 7.71), picks up wickets at will (SR 12.1) using his range in the death overs and he delivers time and again. Saving two of his overs for the slog overs is tactically sound as no one else does it better.
That leaves the captain with only two overs of Bumrah. While on air, former pacer Brett Lee said that the best fast bowler must bowl the first over. While that may be true in theory, it’s not always possible. Only on 4 occasions in 75 matches has Bumrah bowled the first over in IPL.
MI didn’t have to save Bumrah for the middle overs when they had Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya to do the job. After releasing them before the last mega auction, Mumbai hasn’t found spinners who are as effective. Piyush Chawla saved them the blushes last season when Bumrah was absent, but can he be as consistent this year too? Left-arm wrist spinner Kumar Kartikeya hasn’t been trusted enough.
Even among fast bowling enforcers, Hardik Pandya and young Gerald Coetzee are returning from injuries. To plug the gaps as well as exploit the two bouncers’ rule, MI appears to have made a conscious call to save one of Bumrah’s overs for the middle overs. So far, it isn’t working.
In terms of powerplay wicket-taking, Bumrah’s not the very best (SR 29.1). Daniel Sams, Trent Boult, Mitch McCleneghan, Hardik, Krunal Pandya and James Pattinson have all struck at a bette rate for MI. But Bumrah is a mean fast bowler. Even with two boundary riders, he concedes only 6.4 runs per over. Not always does a T20 match situation demand banana swing and magic balls in the powerplay. Stifling runs is the other way to change momentum. Besides, it creates opportunities at the other end.
That’s what Heinrich Klaasen, who punished MI in the last match, alluded to. “They didn’t bowl their best bowler in the powerplay… that was our plan,” Klaasen said. “They missed a trick up front. We’ve got incredible strikers up front in our batting line-up. They just set the tempo so our work was basically done.”
In Bumrah’s early years for MI, he had Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson to work with. Later, Trent Boult came in. MI’s current bowling attack lacks a similar edge. A lot of the heavy lifting has to be done by Bumrah.
India uses the pace spearhead as more of an attacking force in T20Is (43.7 % of his overs come in powerplay and only occasionally (18.6 %) in the middle. But the national team has the entire spin bowling pool from Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and more recently Ravi Bishnoi to choose from. For MI, Bumrah bowls lesser in the first six (33.2 %) and comparatively more in the middle (24.3%).
That may soon have to change. Perhaps it’s time for MI to build on Akash Madhwal’s promise from last season and for Hardik to swap new-ball duties with Bumrah.
