Jasprit Bumrah is a real crown jewel for the Mumbai Indians (MI). He has been regarded as one of the best fast bowlers for quite some time.
Since making his debut in 2013, the speedster has been an important part of MI’s pace attack, taking over for the great Lasith Malinga. It was almost a no-brainer for MI to keep Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the IPL 2023 season, having already spent ten seasons with the team.
However, the bowling department of the five-time IPL champions had a terrible season last year, forcing them to heavily rely on Bumrah. This time, they have Jofra Archer and Jason Behrendorff to help them out, but Jasprit Bumrah’s recent injuries may force MI to look for a good Indian pacer to replace him.
On that note, we should investigate three such youthful pacers whom MI can focus on in the IPL 2023 closeout and can prepare as a reinforcement for Bumrah:
#3 Shivam Mavi
Mavi had a disappointing IPL 2022 campaign for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), taking just five wickets at an economy rate of 10.32. However, with only six matches, the speedster probably did not get enough game time.
Mavi’s development has been influenced by injuries, but the youngster still has 30 wickets from 32 IPL games and has shown signs of greatness in domestic cricket.
Mavi is currently in excellent form, scoring six wickets in the current Ranji Trophy match against Bengal. Given his raw pace and the potential to become a world-class bowler, he is likely to be on many people’s wish lists.
#2 Vaibhav Arora
When the Punjab Kings released Vaibhav Arora ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, there were a lot of eyebrows raised. Last season, the youngster made his IPL debut and was impressed with his ability to swing the ball both ways.
If MI make a move for him, they will have a powerplay bowler, and captain Rohit Sharma will be able to save Jasprit Bumrah’s runs for the middle and final overs.
Even Arora, like Mavi, is in the stunning form right now, so MI probably won’t be able to get his services easily.
#1 Yash Thakur
The youthful pacer that presumably comes nearest to Jasprit Bumrah’s profile is Yash Thakur from Vidarbha. The 23-year-old has established himself as a death-overs specialist in domestic cricket and won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2022.
Thakur was Vidarbha’s most noteworthy wicket-taker in the competition and the 6th most noteworthy by and large, with 15 wickets from 10 innings at a phenomenal economy pace of 7.17. With figures of 4/29 against a pretty strong Delhi team, including defending just nine runs in the final over, he almost led Vidarbha to the semifinals.
Over the years, MI’s scouting has earned it a reputation. Given that he has the ability to imitate Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance in the final overs, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if they go hard for the Vidarbha pacer.