Indian Premier League: Jasprit Bumrah said the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) plan of consistently bowling hard lengths on a dry Dharamshala surface played a key role in restricting the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and setting up their thrilling chase of 201 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash on Thursday.Leading the Mumbai Indians for the first time in the IPL in the absence of injured captain Hardik Pandya, Bumrah guided his side to a memorable win with one ball remaining.
“Both teams played good cricket, and we really pulled back well. A little bit, but the wicket in this game looked a little bit drier than the previous one. Maybe it wasn’t as cold as it was in the last game. Whatever we saw in the previous game and reading this game, holding your length was key. That was the plan and credit to all bowlers, and they kept their nerve as well,” Bumrah said after the match.
Punjab Kings had looked set for a much bigger total after strong contributions from Prabhsimran Singh, who scored 57 off 32 balls, and Azmatullah Omarzai, who smashed 38 off 17 deliveries. However, Mumbai fought back brilliantly in the middle overs, with Shardul Thakur claiming 4-39.
Bumrah said both Shardul’s bowling and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 75 deserved equal praise in the victory. “I think Tilak’s knock and the way Shardul bowled both deserve equal credit. Tilak kept his shape, Jacks also contributed,” he said.
Chasing 201, Mumbai got off to a flying start through Ryan Rickelton, who made 48 off just 23 balls. After a couple of wickets in the middle overs, Tilak steadied the innings with a composed knock filled with six fours and six sixes. Will Jacks also played an important cameo of 25 off 10 balls to help Mumbai complete the chase.
Bumrah also joked about adding another captaincy role to his career after previously leading India in Test and T20 cricket. “I have captained a Test match, I have captained T20s, and now the only game left is ODI cricket, but I don’t see that happening,” he said with a smile.
Meanwhile, despite the win, the Mumbai Indians are out of the playoff race as they are in ninth position in the points table with just 8 points in 12 matches.
Article Source: IANS