Jasprit Bumrah's defining IPL moment: Why the 2017 final between MI and RPSG meant most to him?

Jasprit Bumrah's defining moment in IPL wasn't his debut wicket of Virat Kohli, but his performance in the 2017 final against Rising Pune Super Giants, which further cemented his legacy as one of the best bowlers in the tournament.

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Jasprit Bumrah's defining moment in IPL

Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best bowlers in the history of Indian Premier League. Making his IPL debut with MI in 2013, Bumrah gradually evolved from promising bowler with raw talent to becoming Rohit Sharma’s go-to bowler in crunch situations.

Bumrah is currently playing for MI in the IPL 2025, where he has picked 11 wickets in seven matches so far. He overtook Lasith Malinga’s tally of 170 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker for Mumbai Indians in the history of IPL. The fans remember Jasprit Bumrah as a young bowler who shot to fame with a wicket of RCB star batter Virat Kohli on his IPL debut in 2013, but it was his match-defining spell against Rising Pune Super Giants in the IPL 2017 Final that truly cemented his reputation as a big-match performer.

Jasprit Bumrah played a crucial role in Mumbai Indians’ thrilling victory over RPSG in the IPL 2017 Final.

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The scenario of the IPL 2017 final

After opting to bat first, the Mumbai Indians could post only 129/8 in 20 overs. Krunal Pandya’s valiant innings of 47 off 38 balls took MI past the 100-run mark from a shambolic position of 79/7. MI had to put their best foot forward in order to defend their modest total against the RPSG batting line-up, that included Steve Smith, MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rahul Tripathi. 

However, Mumbai Indians successfully managed to defend the total by restricting Rising Pune Super Giants to 128/6, winning the match by a thrilling 1 run. When RPSG needed two runs off 1 ball to win, Washington Sundar took two runs and on the third run, he was run out by Jagadeesha Suchith, eventually pulling off a thrilling win and MI won the IPL title for the 3rd time.

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Significance of Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah played a crucial role in MI’s campaign throughout the IPL 2017. However, the pacer’s importance came in the final, where he not only registered figures of 2/26 in his spell of four overs, but picked a vital wicket that turned the game around. Bumrah gave an early breakthrough by dismissing Rahul Tripathi in the 3rd over. However, the turning point of the match came when he was brought into attack in the 17th over. 

MS Dhoni was at the crease and RPSG needed 30 off 24 balls. On the second delivery of the over, Bumrah managed to remove Dhoni, turning in MI’s favour. The pacer bowled in the penultimate over when Super Giants needed 22 off 12 balls and he gave away 12 runs, but the pressure he built during that over made it harder for RPSG to go after Mitchell Johnson in the final over.

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Why did the IPL 2017 final matter most for Bumrah?

The IPL 2017 final between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Super Giants was the defining moment for Jasprit Bumrah as it was the night that he announced his arrival as the death bowler. He showcased composure under immense pressure, outsmarting MS Dhoni in a high-stake final, and proving to the world that he could be trusted with the ball in crunch situations. 

Bumrah might have shot to fame when he picked the wicket of Virat Kohli on his IPL debut in 2013, but his wicket of MS Dhoni proved to be the turning point that solidified his reputation as the death over specialist. From that onward, Bumrah was no longer a promising young bowler, but go-to bowler for Mumbai Indians in crunch situations.

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How did Bumrah perform in IPL 2017?

Jasprit Bumrah had one of his best IPL seasons in 2017, scalping 20 wickets at an average of 21.95 and 7.39 in 16 matches. It was the first time Bumrah had breached the 20-wicket mark in a single IPL season, emphasizing his evolution from being one of the most promising young bowlers to one of the dependable bowlers at the death. 

His best performance came against Kolkata Knight Riders, registering figures of 3/7 in three overs. Bumrah’s best IPL season came in 2020, when he picked 27 wickets and MI won their fifth title of the tournament. The MI lead pacer breached 20-wicket mark four times in his IPL career in 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2024.