Mumbai Indians (MI) speedster Jasprit Bumrah bowled a match-winning spell of 4/14 against the Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1, thereby taking his wickets tally to 27 wickets and became the holder of the Purple Cap.
Asked if he keeps a track of how many wickets Kagiso Rabada has got, whom he leapfrogged in the process, Bumrah denied it saying, “Not at all, I’m okay with not getting wickets and winning the tournament, that’s the main goal. I don’t look at wickets because I have been given a role, I want to execute that role, take it ball by ball, focus on execution and nothing else.”
Bumrah has been in sensational form and one of the stalwarts of Mumbai Indians’ fantastic run throughout this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the last three games, he has returned with cumulative figures of 12-2-45-10, where he has taken 10 wickets at an economy of 3.75, bowling two maiden overs and all this in the business end of a T20 tournament.
Bumrah has become the go-to bowler for the MI skippers (whether Rohit Sharma or Kieron Pollard) as when the opposition starts to feel a little control in the game, the captain gets Bumrah on and he gives them the wicket they need. This has happened more than once in this season alone.
On Monday, Bumrah took the new ball as well and got the big wicket of Shikhar Dhawan to leave the Delhi side reeling at 0/3 after twin strikes by Trent Boult in the first over.
Asked about being given the new ball again, Bumrah said, “I’m okay with whatever role is given to me. It keeps me in the game, I’m always on my toes and always in the game. So I know, what is going on, what do I need to do, so that gives me versatility as well.”
Earlier, Bumrah’s four overs were just considered to be like a bank by his team (that he will bowl four economical overs). However, that bank has started giving returns (important breakthroughs) so much so that he has now become that investment which will give guaranteed returns irrespective of the market situation.
Asked if he feels a sense of power when he is bowling that well, Bumrah said that he doesn’t focus on the end result as whenever he has tried to do that things have gone downhill for him so he tries to stay in present and focus on what he has to do in that given moment.
Great Camaraderie with Trent Boult
The duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult has decimated many oppositions in this IPL season in the first four overs, after which they can’t even come back into the game. The pair share 49 wickets between them and have been one of the big reasons for MI’s performances in this edition.
Asked about his discussions with Boult, Bumrah said, “We have a good camaraderie, it’s also for the first time that I’m bowling with him. He is a good bowler, good with the new ball and brings in different perspectives. We discuss fields, match-situations, so there’s a lot to learn from him.”
Mumbai Indians have now reached their 6th IPL final, having won four out of their previous five appearances. They will now wait for five days to find out whom they will meet in the final to be played in Dubai on 10 November.
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