Jasprit Bumrah during a practice session.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Be it in the Men in Blue or those in golden blue, Jasprit Bumrah has been the saviour for most of the last decade. No wonder then that with him having been sidelined from the first fortnight of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai Indians is far from having set the stage alight in IPL 2025.
Naturally, when he joined the squad on Saturday, MI received a big morale boost. When he ran in — albeit not in full steam — and asked a few questions to the batters ahead of Monday’s marquee clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the MI camp saw multiple faces light up despite mediocre results so far.
Such has been his aura that Bumrah’s availability for the crucial game — confirmed by head coach Mahela Jayawardene — will definitely lend balance to the MI line-up. With Bumrah missing in action and Rohit Sharma — who had a long stint in the bat — missing out on its previous loss in Lucknow after being hit on his knee in the nets, MI has had little to celebrate so far.
But the five-time champion will bank on Bumrah to showcase his class and restrict an outfit that started its campaign on song. Having overcome Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings before suffering a setback against Gujarat Titans, RCB will be keen on registering a hat-trick of wins against three of the most successful IPL franchises.
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt will be hoping to counter the pace and swing of Trent Boult and Bumrah. With the red-soil surface aiding the MI pace pack in its previous home game, RCB’s Josh Hazlewood will be looking forward to spitting venom against Rohit and Co.
Having suffered three losses in four outings so far, time is running out for MI. Can Bumrah give it a breath of fresh air?
Published – April 06, 2025 09:13 pm IST