RCB star fires warning shot forward of conflict vs Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is coming off a long injury layoff to the IPL 2025, but count him off at your own peril. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s battle-hardened batters will know better than to underestimate the best bowler in the world. But what RCB will not do is buckle under pressure to the Bumrah aura.

The pacer has been out of action since the Border Gavaskar Trophy, when he picked 32 wickets in 5 Test matches. After Jasprit Bumrah was declared fit and available to play for MI in their game against RCB at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, there is naturally talk of different face-offs.

Bumrah vs RCB

The 31-year-old Bumrah has an excellent record against RCB. In 19 matches against them, he has taken 29 wickets at an average of 19.03. In the last MI vs RCB game at the Wankhede Stadium in 2024, Bumrah picked 5 for 21. RCB power-hitter Tim David has fired the first shot, not off the bat though, and said the openers (Phil Salt and Virat Kohli) will be ready to take on Bumrah from ball one.

“Yeah Bumrah’s pretty widely recognised as the best bowler going around and that’s the challenge we want to have at RCB. If we’re going to go deep in this tournament, we need to beat the best teams, we need to beat the best players”

“So, hopefully Bumrah is bowling the first over  and the first ball goes for 4 or 6 from whoever’s opening the batting for us, that’ll be a statement. It’ll be great to have him back playing in the tournament because the game’s better with him in it,” said David in the pre-match press conference.

Bumrah vs RCB in powerplay

It could be easier said than done for RCB’s openers. Bumrah loves bowling against RCB and he has been particularly good in the Powerplay. Out of the 17 innings when he bowled inside the first 6 overs, Bumrah has conceded only 17 fours and 2 sixes and gone at an economy rate of 6.25.

Tim David was also practical about the Bumrah threat and was quick to add he would be only too happy to take his toes out of the way when the MI and India quick hurls down his yorkers.

“I’ll just try and get my toes out of the way, he’s got a pretty lethal yorker. He’s a brilliant bowler and when you put in big performances against the best teams, against the best players, they’re the best feelings you get as a player. So you want to be challenged by the best and I’m looking forward to that,” David said.

Walk the talk

Tim David can talk because he is not new to the business of six-hitting. He does not open but as a finisher, he has hit more sixes than anyone else in the last three editions of the IPL. David leads the race with 31 sixes in overs 17th to 20th while MS Dhoni (27) and Rinku Singh (26) bring up the top-three. The pressure and the onus, then, is on the openers to go after Bumrah with the new ball. Good luck, Phil and Virat.