Returning to winning ways after four straight defeats, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya did not hold back when he was critical of Jasprit Bumrah’s limited use of MI’s new ball in the ongoing IPL 2026. With questions mounting as to why Bumrah was not given the first ball earlier in the season, Pandya brushed aside the debate.
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“It’s quite fascinating. I see a lot of people asking why Jassi doesn’t bowl forward, but he has bowled first only seven or eight times in 140 matches. So it’s not Hardik Pandya’s problem, it’s everyone’s problem,” Pandya said after Mumbai’s emphatic win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmeda.
The comment came on a night when Bumrah finally broke his wicketless runhe struck on the very first ball of the innings to dismiss Sai Sudharsan. Gujarat never recovered from that early jolt and were bowled out for 100 in 15.5 overs, giving Mumbai an impressive 99-run victory.
Bumrah, who endured a lean start to the season with a five-match wicketless streak, looked back at his best. His spell of 3-0-15-1 may not have made the headlines in numbers, but it set the tone for a dominant bowling performance. After posting 199 for five, Mumbai needed an early check and Pandya’s call to hand Bumrah the new ball paid off.
Interestingly, it was only the seventh time in his IPL career that Bumrah opened the bowling, underscoring Pandya’s point that strategy is not a fixed template but a situational challenge. It worked to perfection on Monday as Mumbai recorded their first ever win against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad after four previous defeats.
However, he laid the foundation for the win Tilak Varma’s stunning maiden IPL hundred. The left-hander finished unbeaten on 101 off just 45 balls and reached the milestone with a boundary off the last delivery of the innings. His knock rescued Mumbai from a sluggish phase and powered them to a formidable total.
Pandya revealed that the decider showed a mid-innings chat with Tilak. At one stage, Tilak was 19 off 22 balls, struggling for fluency before dramatically shifting gears.
“The message was simple. The kind of talent Tilak has, he doesn’t need to worry. Just watch the ball and hit the ball. It was time he delivered. It was much needed for him, the group and Mumbai Indians,” Pandya said.
The win, Mumbai’s first in Ahmedabad, could prove to be a turning point in their campaign. “It’s always challenging to go away and win and Ahmedabad was a tough place for us. It’s very special because it was much needed. Hopefully this is the game where things start to fall into place,” Pandya added.
It was a night to forget for Gujarat Titans. Captain Shubman Gill admitted his team lost control in the middle overs and conceded 95 runs in the last six overs.
“Honestly, we gave away too many runs in the middle overs. There were 160-170 par scores on a wicket like that,” Gill said, also pointing to the inconsistencies in their bowling lengths.
He was equally critical of batting despite the presence of dew. “We could have batted better. But it’s a small hiccup. We have a few games to go and hopefully we’ll come back in winning form,” he added.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
21 Apr 2026 0:08 IST
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