'Luxury': Hardik Pandya's massive praise for Jasprit Bumrah
What's the story
Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has praised ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, calling him a "priceless asset" after their IPL 2025 Eliminator victory over Gujarat Titans. The match was a high-scoring affair with 436 runs scored in total at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Bumrah shone with his economical bowling, giving away just 27 runs in four overs against a strong Gujarat batting line-up. He also claimed an important wicket.
High praise
Pandya compares Bumrah's value to Mumbai housing prices
After the match, Pandya compared Bumrah's value to Mumbai housing prices, saying "it's like Mumbai housing prices - he's that expensive." He further explained how important it was for him to have a bowler of Bumrah's caliber at his disposal. "When you have that, it's a luxury," he added while explaining his strategy behind deploying Bumrah in crucial overs during the match.
Game changer
Bumrah's impact on the match
Bumrah's bowling proved to be the game-changer for MI. He delivered an unplayable yorker that dismissed Washington Sundar and stopped Gujarat's momentum in its tracks. Soon after, Sai Sudharsan fell for a valiant 80, and with the required rate climbing, Gujarat's chase fizzled out. Bumrah returned to bowl another brilliant over in the 18th - conceding just nine runs and helping MI secure a comfortable win in the end.
Bowling prowess
Bumrah's impressive IPL 2025 stats
Bumrah now has 18 wickets in 11 matches this season at an incredible economy rate of just 6.36. This is a remarkable achievement in a season where batters have dominated the game. Despite MI posting a daunting target of 228, the chase was far from over at the halfway mark with Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar putting up an impressive partnership for Gujarat Titans. However, Bumrah's brilliance restricted them to 208/6.
Team effort
MI's batting and bowling performances
Pandya also praised his team's batting and bowling efforts in the match. Rohit Sharma scored a fluent 81 off 50 balls to win the Player of the Match award, while Jonny Bairstow, playing his first game of the season, scored a quickfire 47 off just 22 balls. On the bowling front, Pandya was also impressed with Richard Gleeson's final over under injury duress. Meanwhile, MI will now meet Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 on June 1.