Mumbai Indians’ comeback in IPL 2018 feels like fairytale: Jasprit Bumrah
Mumbai Indians defeated Kings XI Punjab by three runs in a close IPL 2018 match on Wednesday, as Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets. MI now are on fourth spot with 12 points from 13 games
Mumbai Indians have comeback from the dead at Indian Premier League (IPL) in yet another season. Written off after the first-half of the 2018 edition, MI are now hot favourites to seal the final play-off spot after beating Kings XI Punjab by three runs in the match at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. (Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, Highlights)
Although they are likely to be tied at 14 points with some other teams but Mumbai Indians have the best run-rate and so should fancy their chances if they manage to win their final game against Delhi Daredevils.
READ | IPL 2018: Mumbai Indians beat Kings XI Punjab to stay alive in playoffs race
Talking about Mumbai Indians’ history of making comebacks after poor starts, Bumrah said: “It (looks like a) fairy tale. It looks very easy, in the last moment we come and do, but it’s not always like that. It is difficult, we were preparing like that since the first game but we were not able to close off games. Now after the half way stage we were able to close games, so that is the thing we were focusing on. We are not focusing on what is going on, we just wanted to close games so we are focusing on our team and on the things we want to do.”
It was one of the fascinating battles in this Indian Premier League when Kings XI Punjab batsman KL Rahul squared up against the Mumbai Indians pacer Bumrah.
To the delight of the Mumbai crowd, Bumrah prevailed over Rahul on the day, helping Mumbai Indians to stay alive in the tournament.
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Rahul’s important wicket
While his teammates were getting hammered, pace ace Bumrah gave nothing away, refusing to be cowed down by Rahul’s onslaught during his superb knock of 94 (60 balls). The pacer brought the house down on the third ball off the 19th over by claiming the all-important wicket of Rahul while conceding just six runs. He finished with figures of 4-0-15-3.
Talking about his plans for Rahul, Bumrah said it was mainly about being clear in his mind. “We already knew Rahul had been batting well throughout the tournament. In the bowler’s meeting we usually talk about every player so we knew we were bowling second and I had a chat with Shane Bond and Lasith Malinga and that there’d be dew. To have a clear plan is very important whenever you bowl so I was focusing on that today,” said Bumrah.
Talking about the execution in the penultimate over of the innings when he conceded just six runs and took the wicket of Rahul, Bumrah said: “No, it was not that when we got wickets (off the bouncers), we were not looking to take wickets but because I wanted to create pressure so wanted to give as little runs as I could (to defend) to Mitchell (McCleneghan) in the last over so that was the plan.”
READ | IPL 2018 play-off scenarios: Mumbai Indians stay alive with win over Kings XI Punjab
Focusing on plan
It has been an up and down IPL for Bumrah. On Wednesday, everything fell into place but there have been games where he has struggled this season and buckled under pressure in the death overs. Bumrah said for him the key it to stick to his plans, even if on some days they haven’t worked.
“I was not focusing on who was scared and who was not scared (when KL Rahul and Aaron Finch were batting during their 111-run partnership). I was just focusing on what I had to do. On a good day, when you have a clear plan, you are able to execute whatever you wanted. So it worked for me. On some days, it doesn’t work. So I don’t look at what has happened before, what will happen in the future. My focus is always to have a clear plan, I plan and I back myself in whichever situation I’m bowling. I was just focusing on that and it was a good day so it went well.”
