R Ashwin backed Jasprit Bumrah, pointing out that his lack of wickets lately should not be a cause for concern. Bumrah once again went wicketless as Mumbai Indians crashed to an 18-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday. Chasing a target of 241 runs, MI were restricted to 222/5 in 20 overs despite an unbeaten 31-ball 71* by Sherfane Rutherford. Now, Bumrah also hasn’t taken a wicket in his last five IPL matches, which goes back to the second Qualifier last year.
His wicketless run has seen him bowl 122 balls. Even though Bumrah has been wicketless, he has been MI’s best bowler this season. Against RCB, he had the best economy among MI bowlers.
“The lack of wickets narrative for Bumrah can hamper the teams cause! Him nailing yorkers and choking the opposition for every single run is even more important than him looking to get wickets, especially in venues like the Wankhede”, wrote Bumrah.
“When you can’t bowl overs on the trot, your wicket taking ability depends on your partners who hand the over to you.
“We have had so many years of T 20 cricket now & bowling in partnerships as a defensive group is still a seed in the minds of bowling groups. Malinga nailed it, when he spoke during the 10th over mark”, he added.
It is true that Bumrah hasn’t received proper support from his teammates. Trent Boult has only taken one wicket so far in this season. There is not a single MI bowler among the top ten wicket-takers this season. MI have only taken 14 wickets in four matches. They also have the worst economy rate and the lowest dot-ball percentage this season.
Reflecting on the team’s struggles, MI skipper Hardik Pandya recently said, “I think in the last couple of games, as a bowling unit or even as a batting unit, we’ve been quite catching up in the game rather than leading the game. We really need to reflect, really need to see what best we can do and how we can get that momentum and that click which we require. We have a couple of days off from here and we will play again.”
Against RCB, MI leaked 71 runs in the powerplay and 53 at the death. They have the second-worst death-bowling record this season. In his last five IPL innings, Bumrah has registered figures of 0/35 (4), 0/32 (3), 0/21 (4), 0/35 (4), 0/40 (4).
