Jasprit Bumrah is Mumbai Indians' number one pacer in IPL. However, did Virat Kohli miss out on having him in Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2014?
When it comes to India's number one pacer across formats, Jasprit Bumrah is the name that rules on everyone's mind. Moreover, his stint with record five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winner Mumbai Indians (MI) has helped him mature as a bowler. But did Virat Kohli have a chance to sign him for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2014?
According to former Indian wicketkeeper-opener Parthiv Patel, who was once a part of the RCB set-up, had recommended Kohli to go for Bumrah in RCB. However, the then-RCB skipper did not feel interested in the Gujarati pacer. As per him, he seemingly doubted if Bumrah would be able to make a significant impact in RCB.
"In 2014, when I was at RCB, I told Kohli there's this bowler named Bumrah. Please have a look at him. Virat replied, saying, 'Chodd na yaar. Ye Bumrah-Vumrah kya karenge?' (Chuck it, man. What will players like him do?)" Patel was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz.
"When he was first picked, Bumrah played Ranji Trophy for the first two-three years. 2013 was his first year, and he didn't have a good season in 2014. In 2015, it was so bad that there were discussions that he might have to be sent home mid-season. But, he slowly began improving, and Mumbai Indians backed him. His hard work and such backing brought out the best in him," Patel further asserted.
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As Bumrah broke into the Indian team, he gradually made a tremendous impact for the side. He became the first Asian to claim a Test innings fifer in South Africa, England and Australia in the same calendar year. Notably, it was due to his bowling credentials that MI managed to win the record five IPL titles.