Jasprit Bumrah is a rare-find. In six years of international cricket, he has bamboozled batters across all formats. Bowling at a wicked pace, his unconventional action-all gentle jogs, hyperextended arms, braced knees and whippy wrists- have brought him wickets by the bucketload. Heading into IPL 2022, the gun bowler was one of Mumbai Indians’ greatest hopes. However, in a wretched start to the campaign, the record champions would lose eight games on the bounce.

The bowler himself would suffer from an uncommon dip in form. With only five scalps, at an average of 60.80, Bumrah had a forgettable first ten games in this year’s IPL. While he kept a steady economy rate of 7.93, something was clearly off. In their 10th outing, Mumbai Indians would defeat league leaders Gujarat Titans, but Bumrah suffered. Leaking 48 runs in four overs, the Titans’ batters took a fondness for his bowling.

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With seeds of doubt sowing, Bumrah dispelled all concerns with a storming end to the season. It began with a fiery spell against Kolkata Knight Riders. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and sent KKR to bat. Bowling with a chip on his shoulder, the Indian pacer would rip through the Knight Riders’ batting. Running through his repertoire, he would return figures of 5/10. Mumbai would eventually lose folding for 113, but Bumrah had his mojo back!

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In their final game of the season, Bumrah would scupper Delhi Capitals’ hopes of a Top 4 finish with an incisive spell of 3/27. Snaring wickets of Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh and Rovman Powell, the pacer helped Mumbai contain the target to 160, which they eventually chased down in 19.1 overs. With 10 wickets in the last four games at an average of 7.90, Bumrah has hit the 15 wicket mark for the 6th consecutive season.

The IPL season done and dusted, his focus will shift to the T20 World Cup in Australia. In the five months that precede the mega event, South Africa, Ireland, England and West Indies lie in wait. Bumrah will hope against a similar dip in form, come October-November.