Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 21 (ANI): After Mumbai Indians’ (MI) victory against Gujarat Titans (GT), former New Zealand and MI pacer Mitchell McClenaghan praised the decision to have Jasprit Bumrah bowl the first over as a “masterstroke.” He noted that ending Bumrah’s six-match wicketless streak must have been relieving for the star bowler.
While youngsters Tilak Verma and Ashwani Kumar stood out, the game’s biggest positive was Bumrah. He broke his wicketless streak by dismissing Sai Sudharsan in just one ball during the opening over. McClenaghan highlighted that MI needed Bumrah as an attacking weapon, especially against GT’s strong opening pair.
Deploying Bumrah early disrupted GT’s top order, which has been a key strength. Hardik Pandya’s decision to use him was a sign of excellent captaincy. Although Bumrah may not always bowl in the first overs due to strong middle orders in other teams, it worked perfectly against GT.
For Bumrah, ending his wicketless streak was a huge relief. McClenaghan emphasized that while being economical is crucial for a bowler, taking wickets brings more satisfaction. Bumrah’s ability to pick up a wicket quickly showed he’s returning to form, which is great news for MI.
In the match, GT won the toss and chose to field first but struggled against MI’s batting partnership between Naman Dhir and Tilak Verma. Dhir scored 45 runs, while Verma hit an explosive 101 off 45 balls. Rabada was GT’s best bowler with 3/33.
During the chase, GT fell apart quickly, thanks to Ashwani’s career-best figures of 4/24 and contributions from spinners Ghazanfar and Santner. Bumrah also took one wicket for 15 runs in three overs as MI secured a convincing win. (ANI)