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100* and just getting started: Bumrah's best in IPL

By Mumbai Indians

Jasprit Bumrah played his 100th IPL game when he stepped out to take the field against CSK in Dubai on 19th September, 2021. On that day, he became only the fifth “one-franchise player” to have played 100 games for a team, a list that also includes Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga.

The MI pacer is also the team’s third highest wicket taker with 117 scalps, behind Harbhajan Singh’s 127 and Malinga’s 170.

On the occasion of him being 100 games old in MI colours, let us revisit his best performances from the season he stepped into the MI dressing room.

2013 - The debut season

Bumrah’s debut game was against RCB, and their skipper, Virat Kohli, became his first IPL wicket, a list that would later have other prominent names on it. That game was Bumrah’s best among the two matches he played, where he picked Kohli’s, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair’s wickets, finishing with 3/32.

2014 - Playing almost a full season

The young pacer played 11 matches that season, his first as being one of the prominent bowlers of the pack. This season too, his best came against RCB, where he recorded 2/22, claiming the dangerous AB de Villiers and Harshal Patel to help MI steal a 15-run win.

2015 - The low before the steep climb

Playing only four games, Bumrah had a rather forgettable season. He could only earn three wickets, and his best performance was 1/38 in the season opener against KKR, which did not end favourably for MI.

2016 - The rise of pacer

This was the first season that Bumrah played all of MI’s games. He claimed 15 wickets with a show of 3/13, his best of the lot, against the then Delhi Daredevils. Bumrah had taken out Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant and Amit Mishra with ease to help MI win by a massive 80 runs.

2017 - Threatening the top performers

Bumrah emerged as a contender for most wickets by touching the number 20 in 2017. He rose to be the third highest wicket taker after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat and took the most wickets for MI that season. His best performance of 3/7, his then best IPL bowling figures, came in the qualifier against KKR that catapulted them into the final, in which MI would go on to win their third IPL title.

2018 - Bumrah, the economical bowler

So far, Bumrah’s economy rate had stayed in the 7s or more in all the former seasons, even touching over 12 once. In 2018, it dropped to 6.88, and his 17 scalps came without giving away as many runs as he would have before. His best numbers came in a must-win game against the then KXIP. His 3/15 helped MI eke out a 3-run win to still hold a qualification chance.

2019 - Reliable Bumrah

Once again, Bumrah gave the top guns a run for their money, breaking into the top-five wicket takers with 19 scalps. He was delivering at the captain’s call and was integral in seeing his team to the fourth IPL trophy. His 3/20, once more against RCB, with Kohli, Shimron Hetmyer and Colin de Grandomme’s wickets, was his best performance, helping MI win by 6 runs.

2020 - Bumrah, the leader

Come IPL 2020, and Bumrah has taken over the responsibility of leading the pack. He did that with example, claiming 27 wickets and ending as the second highest wicket taker. His 4/14 against Delhi Capitals in the qualifier took MI to the final enroute to the team’s fifth IPL win. He also had another 4-wicket haul, a 4/20 in a winning cause against Rajasthan Royals.

By far 2020 was his most successful completed season. His season-best average came in 2020 at 14.96. The ace pacer also became the third youngest player to get to the 100-wicket mark in the IPL.

Overall, he has 117 IPL wickets with an impressive  average of 24.01. His journey in IPL has been nothing short of stellar, with him rising consistently through the years. Today, he stands tall as the player who has been a vital cog in MI’s title winning seasons and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon!

Go well, champ. The Paltan’s cheers are loud and clear for you!