Ahmedabad
Hardik Pandya firmly defended Jasprit Bumrah after Mumbai Indians victory over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 at Ahmedabad saying criticism over the pacer’s wicket drought was unfair.
Bumrah who had gone wicketless in first five matches of the season made a stunning return by striking on the very first ball of Gujarat’s innings dismissing Sai Sudharsan and shifting momentum instantly.
He ended with impressive figures of 3 for 15 in three overs playing a key role in Mumbai’s 99 run win after posting 199 for 5.
Pandya rejected suggestions that his captaincy or bowling management had affected Bumrah’s early wicket tally saying the team uses him strategically based on match situations.
He said people often question why Bumrah does not bowl the first over more frequently but insisted it is about tactical flexibility rather than any issue.
Pandya highlighted that Bumrah has featured in over 150 IPL matches and has bowled the first over only a handful of times reinforcing that workload and matchups dictate usage.
According to him Bumrah remains Mumbai’s most valuable weapon and is deployed in phases where impact is maximised rather than being restricted to opening spells.
Mumbai Indians posted 199 for 5 thanks to Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 101 off 45 balls while Naman Dhir contributed 45 runs to stabilise the innings.
The bowling unit then delivered a collective effort with Ashwani Kumar taking 4 for 24 and Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar picking two wickets each.
Pandya concluded that the win was crucial for Mumbai after a poor run of four consecutive defeats and praised the team’s intensity and execution under pressure in Ahmedabad.
Looking ahead Pandya said Mumbai Indians will focus on maintaining consistency as they prepare for their upcoming clash against Chennai Super Kings highlighting that Bumrah’s rhythm returning at the right time is a massive boost for the bowling attack and that the team management remains confident in its tactical plans regarding bowler rotation and workload management while ensuring Bumrah is used in high impact phases rather than fixed overs which Pandya believes maximises match winning value.