Jasprit Bumrah’s deployment in their conflict with SRH, however, surprised Tom Moody.
With a massive total of 523 runs produced throughout the entire encounter, encounter 8 of the IPL 2024 between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Mumbai Indians proved to be a batting extravaganza for both teams, setting the record for the most runs scored in a T20 match. SRH’s 277/3 in 20 overs, the highest-ever IPL total, surpassed the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 263-run score against the Pune Warriors India in 2013. Additionally, the match saw 38 sixes, the most in a men’s T20.
The batting lineup for SRH produced the show-stoppers: Aiden Markram (42 off 28), Travis Head (62 off 24), Abhishek Sharma (63 off 23), and Heinrich Klaasen (80* off 34). The South African pair added the finishing touches, completely destabilising the bowling attack with their unbeaten 116-run standoff just 55 deliveries, while the first two names came out guns blazing at the beginning, sparing none and bringing their respective half-centuries in 18 and 16 deliveries.
In the midst of the batters’ carnage, one player in particular stood out as a clear anomaly among the others: Jasprit Bumrah, who astonishingly only scored 36 runs during his whole quota.
The fact that the “world’s best bowler” in the T20 format received only one over during the first ten overs of the SRH innings perplexed the well-known pundit, who had coached the SRH from their founding in 2013 to 2019 and again in 2022. He was analyzing the game alongside former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer and Kiwi pacer Mitchell McClenaghan.
By the time MI lost all control of the game—SRH had scored 173/3 after 12 overs—Jasprit Bumrah made his second appearance as late as the 13th over.
“When you’ve got the best bowler in the world in this format, if not all formats, and for him to only bowl one over in the first ten overs, to bowl his second over in the 13th over is extraordinary.” According to Moody, who ESPNcricinfo cited, the game will have completely vanished by then.
In order to extract as much swing as possible in the opening few overs of the game, Moody said that he could sort of relate to the idea of wanting to move forward with a few swing-bowling alternatives. Because of his bowling deliveries alone, he believed he had bowled at least a pair from Bumrah during the powerplay. He was unaffected by the fact that MI was doing the exact reverse of what was intended—that is, bringing in a team’s wicket-taking bowlers—and so not limiting the damage inflicted on them.
“I completely understand if they would like to deploy a few swing-bowling alternatives in the first or second over. However, due to Jasprit Bumrah’s contributions, he must bowl two overs on the powerplay. Getting wickets is a top priority in powerplay cricket, and he is and always will be your finest wicket-taker. It’s absurd that he and Mumbai are being denied the chance to attempt to halt the onslaught. It seems off somehow,” Moody continued.
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