Bumrah should be used like Umar Gul in IPL: Manjrekar

Monitoring Desk

KARACHI: Former Indian batter and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has claimed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians should deploy the same tactics for pacer Jasprit Bumrah as Pakistan did with ex-speedster Umar Gul during his Twenty20 International (T20I) career.

Recently appointed as the bowling coach of Quetta Gladiators, Gul was an integral part of the Pakistan cricket team which dominated the T20I format ever since its inception. His most prominent contribution was perhaps becoming the leading wicket-taker in a T20 World Cup-winning campaign back in 2009.

Umar Gul’s success was not only down to his ability to unsettle the batters with his sheer pace but a mixture of how he was utilised as well; he was brought late into the bowling attack when batters typically look to slog.

Recalling the 2009 T20 World Cup final, Younis Khan brought Umar Gul into the attack in the 12th over when Sri Lanka was gaining some momentum. Gul made the breakthrough in his very first over and eventually finished with solid figures of 4-0-29-1.

Citing the same tactics in an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Sanjay Majrekar said: “If you remember Umar Gul used to bowl all his four overs towards the end of the innings for Pakistan and he was quite successful. I think Mumbai Indians should keep all four of Bumrah’s overs after the 10-over mark. In case the team is in trouble and opposition batsmen are scoring freely than maybe bring him on for a few overs but try and save him for the later stages. Get him to bowl when the pressure increases and batsmen are desperately looking to hit boundaries.”

Mumbai Indians will face Umar Gul’s former team Kolkata Knight Riders for Match 34 of the Indian Premier League as the play-off battle continues to heat up.