Despite Mumbai Indians’ defeat to Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2024 match on Sunday evening at the Wankhede Stadium, Jasprit Bumrah didn’t hesitate to visit the CSK dugout to meet his former India captain MS Dhoni.
Dhoni was the one under whom Bumrah made his debut back in 2016. While Bumrah delivered a strong performance, taking figures of 0/27 from 4 overs, he couldn’t help but turn into a fanboy upon catching up with Dhoni after the match.
Bumrah was observed posing with Dhoni while a member of the CSK team captured a photo of them together. Later, Bumrah posted the picture on his Instagram account with the caption: “Reunited with Mahi bhai after a while. Enjoyed catching up.”
Unfortunately, Bumrah didn’t have the opportunity to bowl to Dhoni as the CSK legend only came out to bat in the final over, which was bowled by Hardik Pandya.
It was under Dhoni’s leadership eight years ago that Bumrah made his international debut for India, during the 2016 tour of Australia, marking the beginning of his journey towards success. However, Bumrah has managed to dismiss Dhoni three times in one-on-one encounters across 15 IPL matches.
You can watch Bumrah’s moment of admiration here:
At this point of his career he is playing cricket with his fanboys 😭♥️https://t.co/pyoQlK5Vb8
— ' (@Dhoniverse_) April 14, 2024
Bumrah is swiftly climbing up the IPL 2024 Purple Cap leaderboard. With 10 wickets, he currently holds the second position, just behind his India teammate Yuzvendra Chahal.
Bumrah stands out as the sole bowler in the season to have achieved a five-wicket haul. His season began with impressive figures of 3/14 against Gujarat Titans, almost securing a victory for his franchise.
However, he went wicketless in two subsequent games against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. Even in the match against SRH, where the rest of the MI bowlers struggled, Bumrah maintained his economical bowling, conceding only 36 runs.
Bumrah’s brilliance in IPL 2024
In the match against Delhi Capitals, as MI secured their first victory of the season, Bumrah once again posed a threat to the batters, taking 2/22. He followed this up by dismantling the Royal Challengers Bangalore with figures of 5/21, marking only the second five-wicket haul of his career.
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Interestingly, Bumrah has rarely opened the bowling for MI except for two games – he has only done so when Hardik hasn’t bowled with the new ball, such as against Rajasthan Royals and the Capitals.
The decision to bring Bumrah as the first change has not yielded the desired results. MI has often struggled in the Powerplay, leading to increasing demands for Bumrah to consistently open the bowling. Meanwhile, Dhoni continues to showcase his vintage form with classic innings.
His unbeaten 32 off 16 balls against DC harked back to Dhoni’s glory days, and his 20-run cameo off four balls last night, which included three consecutive sixes against Hardik, added another memorable chapter to his illustrious career.
Dhoni’s innings proved pivotal as MI fell short by exactly 20 runs while chasing a target of 207.
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