Hardik Pandya Refuses To Be Blamed For Jasprit Bumrah's Wicket Drought, Gives Fiery Reply
Jasprit Bumrah finally opened his wicket account in IPL 2026 with a first-ball breakthrough for Mumbai Indians against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
- Jasprit Bumrah took his first IPL 2026 wicket on the first ball against Gujarat Titans
- "Lot of people ask why Jasprit has never bowled the first over. Not a Hardik Pandya problem," MI skipper said
- "It's just that he is so special that you use him wherever it's required, not necessarily at the start"
Jasprit Bumrah finally opened his wicket account in IPL 2026 with a first-ball breakthrough for Mumbai Indians against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Monday. After going wicketless in his first five matches, Bumrah breathed fire right from the opening delivery. He removed the dangerous Sai Sudharsan with the very first ball to break the deadlock and conceded just one run in the over. He eventually finished with figures of 3-0-15-1 as MI successfully defended a total of 199.
MI captain Hardik Pandya was asked about Bumrah taking a wicket on the first ball of the first over of the GT innings.
"Yeah, it's quite fascinating. I've seen a lot of people ask why Jasprit has never bowled the first over. But if you see, it's been 151 appearances and I think eight or nine times Jasprit has bowled the first over. So I don't think it's a Hardik Pandya problem. It's just that Jasprit Bumrah is so special that you use him wherever it's required for the team, not necessarily at the start. But today, we realised that we really wanted to make an impact with the new ball, and no one's better than him," Pandya replied.
Mumbai Indians posted a commanding total of 199/5, built around Tilak Varma's sensational unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls - a knock that also saw him equal the franchise record for the fastest IPL century. Naman Dhir provided solid support with a crucial 45, helping MI recover after early setbacks.
Pandya also expressed satisfaction after Mumbai Indians snapped their four-match losing streak in IPL 2026.
"Very important. It's always challenging to go away and win. Also, Ahmedabad has not been a happy hunting ground for Mumbai Indians, so it's very satisfying," he said.
Mumbai Indians' bowling unit delivered a collective effort, with Ashwani Kumar starring with figures of 4/24, while Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar picked up two wickets each to dismantle the GT batting line-up.
"It was about bowling in the right areas and with the right intent. Really amazing effort by the youngsters, and then the fielding had to click as well," Pandya concluded, praising the team's overall performance.
Meanwhile, following the dominant win, Mumbai Indians have climbed to seventh on the points table, with four points from six matches. They will next face arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 23.
With IANS inputs
Mumbai Indians
Gujarat Titans
Jasprit Bumrah
Hardik Pandya