If Jasprit Bumrah was around, things would have been different for Mumbai Indians: Zaheer Khan | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Former India pacer Zaheer Khan feels five-time champions Mumbai Indians are sorely missing the services of their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Mumbai Indians are currently fifth on the table with 14 wins in 13 matches and have just one match left to play in the league stage. They will face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Bumrah, who hasn’t played since last September after suffering a recurrence of a back injury, was part of all five of Mumbai Indians’ title wins under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
Mumbai Indians, the most successful team in the IPL, won the title in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Bumrah has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians’ wheel and it’s sometimes surreal to not see his name in the MI starting XI.
Bumrah has played 120 IPL matches for MI and taken 145 wickets.

Jasprit Bumrah (BCCI/IPL Photo)
Former India and MI player Zaheer Khan, who is currently the Global Head of Cricket Development at the Mumbai Indians spoke to a select group of journalists as part of a roundtable conference recently.
In response to a question by TimesofIndia.com on Jasprit Bumrah, Zaheer said: “MI are missing Bumrah badly. There is no doubt about that. Bumrah is a match winner. I am being very vocal about the fact that there is inexperience in the Mumbai Indians bowling lineup. Piyush Chawla has done exceptionally well. He has carried the responsibility of being a senior bowler really well. But the weakness in MI’s bowling was always there.”
“If Bumrah was around, things would have been different for Mumbai Indians,” Zaheer, who is also an IPL expert for JioCinema, further said.
‘BRINGING IN PIYUSH CHAWLA A PLANNED MOVE’
Zaheer, a veteran of 92 Tests, 200 ODIs, and 17 T20Is, admitted MI have missed Bumrah and also revealed how MI planned to secure the services of the experienced Piyush Chawla.
Chawla is currently the leading wicket-taker for the 5 time champions this season with 20 wickets in 13 matches.
Chawla was not part of IPL 2022 as he found no takers at the auction.
The 34-year-old was picked by Mumbai Indians at his base price of Rs 50 lakh in the mini-auction before this season and he proved to be a great buy.

Piyush Chawla (BCCI/IPL Photo)
Talking about Chawla, Zaheer, who played 100 IPL matches and took 102 wickets, said: “Piyush has the experience and that was MI’s requirement. It was a planned move to bring Piyush into the side. We have seen over the years, in the IPL, the value of experience. Bringing (in) someone who has been there, done that, someone who can handle pressure well.”
“From the spin department’s point of view, there are a lot of young spinners in the MI setup. Piyush was a very straightforward call that way. With his experience, he can mentor other guys as well. He has been terrific this season,” Zaheer signed off.