IPL 2024: Bumrah firing on all cylinders with pinpoint accuracy

IPL 2024: Jasprit Bumrah has the least economy and the 2nd highest average among the bowlers who have taken 10+ wickets this season. Let's analyse Bumrah's performance in IPL 2024.

Jasprit Bumrah has taken 13 wickets so far from 8 games (Images: ©BCCI/IPLT20)

When one thinks about Jasprit Bumrah, the first word that comes to mind is smartness. It’s quite pleasing in the eyes to witness a bowler foxing the batters with variations and pin-point yorkers in this modern T20 era. Against Punjab Kings (PBKS), the fourth ball of his first over swung late to destroy the off-stump of Rilee Rossouw. The South Africa batter was beaten  pace and found himself pinned at the crease. It was Bumrah’s class. 

Going back to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) affair at the Wankhede, he dismissed Virat Kohli for the fifth time in the IPL. The short-of-a-length delivery shaped back to find the inside edge of Kohli’s willow. But, the excellence of Bumrah was in the last two deliveries before the dismissal. He kept Kohli on the backfoot with the first ball of the over, before hitting his pad with an inswinger. 

In seven innings, Bumrah has managed 13 wickets so far at an economy of just under six to wear the purple cap. The next best in the list, Yuzvendra Chahal’s economy of 8.34 increases the Mumbai Indians (MI) bowler’s price in the market. His 79 dot balls are the second most after Khaleel Ahmed, while Bumrah’s average of 12.84 is on a different scale. 

Read More: IPL 2024: From Mayank's thunderbolts to Bumrah's precision - Top three spells so far

Saha, Shaw, and Lomror- Bumrah’s Yorker victims are endless

The hardest thing for a bowler is to bowl a yorker with the new ball. It becomes difficult to control the hard seam. Jasprit Bumrah thinks differently. Going back to MI’s first game in this Indian Premier League (IPL) against Gujarat Titans (GT), Wriddhiman Saha faced a toe-crushing Bumrah yorker. The 140.6 kmph delivery came from a wide angle and hit the block hole. Saha was so late that he couldn’t even bring his bat down. The superb bowling effort helped Bumrah finish with 3/14 in three overs, the best in the entire 40 overs. 

The Delhi Capitals (DC) clash provided him his second yorker victim. Prithvi Shaw was batting in total control on 66. Captain Hardik Pandya was looking to break the 88-run stand. Who would have he called? No prize for guessing as Bumrah marked the position for his second over. 

He bowled a slow yorker to Abhishek Porel, who somehow managed to dig it to mid-off. The very next ball was his special cunning toe-crusher to Shaw, who smartly hid his back leg to avoid injury. On his next over, he cramped Porel for room to grab his wicket to finish with 2/22 in four overs. 

His best figures came against RCB. By the time he returned for his last spell, the veteran had figures of 1/8 in two overs. The other bowlers, by then, went for an economy of 10. Faf du Plessis mistimed the full toss to gift Bumrah a wicket for his hard work. The very next ball to the new man, Mahipal Lomror, was a toe-crushing yorker. The left-handed batter looked to push the ball and was clonked on his front toe. The finger went up straight away as Bumrah finished with 5/21 in four overs. 

“I’ve now become used to being ready whenever the situation demands. You use your experience; you keep an eye on (where) the game is heading.” Bumrah spoke after the RCB game. 

Read More: IPL 2024, MI vs RCB: Ishan, Surya make short work of 197 chase; Bumrah shines with fifer

Jasprit Bumrah took 3-14 against GT (Images: ©BCCI/IPLT20)

Apart from Bumrah, Mumbai struggles in the pace bowling unit

In the seven innings so far, Bumrah has given away just 167 runs in 28 overs at an economy of 5.96. The other Mumbai pacers have been terrible in comparison. They have been smoked for 875 runs in 77.4 overs with 23 wickets at an economy rate of 11.27. 

A look at how Bumrah stands at a distance from the other MI pacers

Bowlers	Opponent	Overs	Runs	Wickets	Economy
Bumrah	Gujarat Titans	04	14	03	3.50
Other MI pacers	Gujarat Titans	09	82	02	9.11
Bumrah	Sunirsers Hyderabad	04	36	00	9.00
Other MI pacers	Sunirsers Hyderabad	12	168	02	14.00
Bumrah	Rajasthan Royals	04	26	00	6.50
Other MI Pacers	Rajasthan Royals	8.3	79	04	9.29
Bumrah	Delhi Capitals	04	22	02	5.50
Other MI Pacers	Delhi Capitals	12	133	05	11.08
Bumrah	RCB	04	21	05	5.25
Other MI Pacers	RCB	11	134	02	12.18
Bumrah	CSK	04	27	00	6.75
Other MI Pacers	CSK	12	148	03	12.33
Bumrah	Punjab Kings	04	21	03	5.25
Other MI Pacers	Punjab Kings	13.1	131	05	10

Even in comparison with the international bowlers, Bumrah is way ahead. Trent Boult has an economy of 7.37 but has just seven scalps in seven innings. Kagiso Rabada has 10 wickets in seven games but has been smashed for 233 runs in 28 overs. Mitchell Starc, the most expensive IPL player ever, has just five wickets at an economy rate of 10.54. 

Preparation is always key - Bumrah 

Besides his bowling, he is a master of acknowledging the conditions. In vital situations, Jasprit Bumrah puts focus on swinging the ball, while on demand, he has that slower ball in the bag too. 

“There is no ego in this format. You bowl at 145 kmph, but sometimes it’s important to bowl slower balls,” Bumrah narrated after the RCB match. “In this format, it’s very harsh for the bowlers. I try to not be a one-trick pony, I have worked on this early in the career.’ 

This simply makes one realize how much ahead he is in this modern era. The important key behind his success is preparation. 

“When things haven’t worked out for me, the next day, I have seen the videos and analyzed what did not work. Preparation is always key. Important is to keep pushing yourself before a game.” 

While relentlessly working on his variations, Bumrah never forgets to stay in the moment. The Punjab clash for Mumbai saw 375 runs being smashed by the batters. Bumrah ended with an economy of 5.20 in that affair. 

The era has changed. The shortest format has been more batter-centric. The pitches have been flat, and the scores have just gone up. However, among all difficulties, Bumrah still keeps on creating differences with specific preparations from past learnings. 

Read More: IPL 2024, PBKS vs MI, Key Takeaways: Ashutosh causes mayhem, but MI persist to clinch victory