Jasprit Bumrah, the Mumbai Indians (MI) pace spearhead, reaffirmed his dominance over Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) batting mainstay Virat Kohli in their high-octane IPL clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Kohli, facing his long-time nemesis, could only manage a meagre three runs off nine deliveries before departing courtesy of a Bumrah delivery.
A Déjà Vu Dismissal for Kohli
The right-handed batsman’s dismissal unfolded in a familiar fashion. After facing a couple of dot balls from Bumrah, Kohli attempted a pull shot off a well-directed length delivery. However, he could only manage a faint edge that was pouched comfortably by Ishan Kishan behind the stumps. This dismissal marked yet another chapter in the ongoing narrative of Bumrah’s mastery over Kohli in the IPL.
Famously, Bumrah dismissed Kohli on his IPL debut back in 2013, etching his name in the history books. This tradition continued when Bumrah claimed Kohli’s wicket for his 100th IPL scalp during the 2020 season in the UAE. Including the most recent encounter, Bumrah has now dismissed Kohli a total of five times in the IPL.
Kohli’s Scoring Against Bumrah
While Bumrah has managed to restrict Kohli’s scoring opportunities, it’s worth noting that the RCB batsman hasn’t been completely shut down. Across his career, Kohli has managed to score 140 runs off 95 deliveries at a healthy strike rate of 147.36 against Bumrah. The majority of these runs have come in boundaries, with Kohli hitting 15 fours and five sixes off Bumrah’s bowling.
Despite his ability to score against Bumrah, Kohli’s struggles against the pacer are evident in the number of times he has been dismissed. In the IPL’s shortest format, only Sandeep Sharma and Ashish Nehra have dismissed Kohli more often than Bumrah. Sharma has dismissed Kohli seven times, while Nehra has managed to get him out six times.
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