Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 7 : Despite Mumbai Indians (MI) falling short against Gujarat Titans in a thrilling encounter in Mumbai, Jasprit Bumrah once again proved why he's regarded as one of the finest bowlers of his generation. The ace pacer delivered a stunning spell, finishing with figures of 2/19 in his four overs, against Gujarat Titans (GT).
JioStar cricket expert Aakash Chopra was effusive in his praise for Bumrah, calling him a "once-in-a-generation talent" and highlighting the significance of his timely breakthroughs.
"Bumrah has made it a habit to produce game-changing spells," Chopra said on JioHotstar.
"Coming in right after the strategic timeout and rain break, he dismissed Shubman Gill and then Shahrukh Khan, swinging the momentum back to MI. He's a once-in-a-generation talent you could talk about him endlessly," he added.
Although Mumbai lost the game by three wickets Bumrah's efforts stood out as a beacon of brilliance. Chopra further added that Bumrah's true value remains underappreciated in the franchise system.
"Frankly, he deserves to be the most expensive player in the league. It's unfortunate that he isn't," he remarked.
Bumrah's spell reaffirmed his status as one of the most feared and admired bowlers in the game capable of turning matches on their head, no matter the conditions or pressure.
Coming to the match, GT won the toss and opted to bowl first. A 71-run stand between Will Jacks (53 in 35 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Suryakumar Yadav (35 in 24 balls, with five fours) was the highlight as wickets fell regularly, restricting MI to 155/8 in their 20 overs.
Sai Kishore (2/34) was the pick of the bowlers for GT, while Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan and Gerald Coetzee took a wicket each.
The run-chase was a rollercoaster ride for both teams. GT did lose Sai Sudharsan early, but a 72-run stand between skipper Shubman Gill (43 in 46 balls, with three fours and a six) and Jos Buttler (30 in 27 balls, with three fours and a six) marked their comeback in the game.
In the 14th over, with GT 107/2, a rain break was taken with GT ahead as per the DLS Method. After the break, Jasprit Bumrah (2/19) and Trent Boult (2/22) brought MI back in the game, collapsing GT to 132/6 in 18 overs at the start of another rain break. This time, GT was behind.
When the game finally resumed, the revised target was 147 runs with one more over left. Rahul Tewatia (11*) and Gerald Coetzee (12) single-handedly finished the job for GT, earning them a win by three wickets on a last-ball thriller.
GT is at the top with eight wins, three losses and 16 points, while MI sits at fourth with seven wins and five losses, giving them 14 points. Their six-match win streak is finally broken.Gill was given the 'Player of the Match' award.
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