Jasprit Bumrah’s return to IPL following back spasms in Australia earlier this year was met with a certain degree of scepticism.
What happens if he’s injured again and is forced to miss the England tour? Could another injury be disastrous, thereby putting his careerin jeopardy?
Former Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond, who is currently associated with the Rajasthan Royals, too joined the chorus and said that Bumrah’s workload needed to be managed conservatively to avoid another relapse.
But the premier fast bowler has put all doubts to rest with a consistent performance since his comeback. With 11 wickets, including a four-for, from seven matches at an economy of 6.96, Bumrah has shown no signs of rustiness since his return after nearly three months.
His craft and guile were on display in Jaipur on Thursday evening as he dismissed Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer with consecutive deliveries. He finished with 2/15 and made the Royals batters flinch with a barrage of short deliveries.
“Yeah, proper nasty fasty today. Obviously, a hugeaddition to our squad. Missed the first couple of games of the season, but he needs no introduction. He’s a world-class bowler, and he’s delivering at the right time, sogreat to have him back,” teammate Trent Boult said after the match.
Bumrah has consistently breached the 145kmph mark besides hitting the hard lengths. He has shown the intent to make it tough for the batters with his pinpoint accuracy, be it the yorkers or the slower ones.
With every game, he has started to trust his body. His rhythm must have come as a welcome breather for his India captain Rohit Sharma. Who wouldn’t revel at the thought of leading a team with an attack comprising Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in full flow in English conditions?
Despite being the best fast bowler in the world, Bumrah has never won the Purple Cap in the IPL.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif argued that the reward for the best bowler in the tournament should not be based on just the total wickets in a season.
“I am not happy with the rules for the Purple Cap because it’s unfair for bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Sunil Narine, and Rashid Khan who haven’t won the award in IPL history,” Kaif said on X.
“Because batsmen come prepared against bowlers like Bumrah. They do their homework and come out to play with the mindset that they can’t throw their wicket to him. The dominance Bumrah has with the ball stays in every batsman’s mind.That’s why he hardly gets to win the Purple Cap, as the award is all about who takes the most wickets.
“There should be a few changes in the rule—like how many boundaries you’ve conceded, how many sixes, what your economy is. Some bowlers with an economy above 10 are still getting shouts for the Purple Cap,” he wrote.
While that is something the IPL brass will need to consider, Bumrah must also work in tandem with the team management to carefully monitor his workload since the transition from T20 to Test cricket can be tricky.
Another injury setback could spell doom for India.
