Jasprit Bumrah sends ‘message’ to captain Hardik Pandya with public declaration of Mumbai Indians role.

The seasoned seamer has become a key figure for his franchise, consistently taking wickets. Following his impactful performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Punjab Kings, Bumrah expressed his desire for a more significant role within the team to skipper Hardik Pandya. His impressive figures of 3 for 21 in 4 overs played a pivotal role in Mumbai Indians’ victory over Punjab Kings by 9 runs. Bumrah highlighted his wish to bowl in the powerplay early on when the ball swings, a role that has been largely assigned to other players this season.

He emphasized the importance of making an impact during the brief period when the ball swings in the T20 format and expressed the challenges faced by bowlers due to the aggressive batting and time constraints. Bumrah also stressed the need for backing oneself and delivering the best performance on the field. In contrast to his desired role, other players such as Hardik Pandya, Gerald Coetzee, and Akash Madhwal have been entrusted with more responsibility in the powerplays. Bumrah specifically pointed out the roles he played in the recent match, where he bowled the 2nd and 4th over and claimed 2 wickets.

He emphasized his desire for similar responsibilities to be entrusted to him by captain Hardik. Recapping the match, Punjab Kings chose to bowl first, and a strong batting performance from Suryakumar, Rohit Sharma, and Tilak Varma guided Mumbai Indians to a competitive total of 192/7. Harshal Patel and skipper Sam Curran led the bowling attack for Punjab Kings, with Bumrah later emerging as a key figure in Mumbai Indians’ successful defense of their target. During the run chase, Ashutosh and Shashank Singh displayed notable performances for Punjab Kings, but the excellent bowling display from Gerald Coetzee and Jasprit Bumrah resulted in Mumbai Indians successfully defending their target.