IPL Dispatch: Jasprit Bumrah's Wicketless Run Continues; Match Ban Threat Looms Over RR Official

The rivalry week comes to an end with Royal Challengers Bengaluru getting the better of five-time champions Mumbai Indians by 18 runs. In a high-scoring clash, Bengaluru always looked the better team as fiery knocks from Phil Salt (78) and Rajat Patidar (53) took them to a mammoth first innings, while Mumbai kept chasing them throughout the game.

It was a double header Sunday as the Gujarat Titans outclassed the Lucknow Super Giants in the day game on the back of Shubman Gill (56) and Jos Buttler's (60) majestic knocks.

With matchday four ending today, the gap between the top and the bottom teams is becoming clearer, while some teams are languishing in the middle with the potential of climbing up to the top.

Jasprit Bumrah's Dry Run Continues

Jasprit Bumrah had a magnificent run in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, and it was touted that the IPL would be a cakewalk for the yorker king with such good form at his disposal, but so far, it has been a contrasting tournament for the pacer, with no wickets to show for even after playing all four matches.

Bumrah has gone wicketless in the IPL so far, which also reflects on MI's form, who are tottering in 8th place in the points table with one win in four matches.

While his economy rate (8.20) has been good, given that he bowls the difficult over and the batters look to see him off, which makes getting wickets even more difficult for him. Still, given his pedigree, MI would be hoping that he finds a way and starts getting wickets for them while maintaining the economy rate.

Jasprit Bumrah has 183 wickets to his name in the IPL in 149 matches at an average of 22.69, while his strike rate this year has been 250, which has sent shockwaves among his fans.

Captain's Early Report Card

In cricket, captains play a massive role, especially in a short and dynamic format, the T20s. The skipper has to be on their toes to make decisions based on the state of play.

The position of the team on the points table is a major reflection of the performances of the captains in the IPL. Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar have been the two standout captains of the tournament so far, which is why their teams have been sitting comfortably at the 2nd and 3rd spots in the points table.

Axar Patel and Rishab Pant have been the two captains who have done well in patches, but in their last matches, they fell a bit short with their tactical changes in and off the field that led to them getting stuck in the middle muddle.

On the other hand, there has been too much turbulence in teams like SRH, MI, and KKR, and their skippers haven't been able to find the best playing XIs, which has resulted in failures for them in most of the matches played so far.

It's high time for them to get their playing combinations right and get a grip on the team; otherwise, it could get too late for them to make a comeback.

Photo Of The Day

Legendary Indian singer dies at the age of 92 in Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital due to multiple organ failures. She started singing at the age of 10 and have sung many memorable songs during her illustrious career.

She was an avid cricket follower too and even collaborated with Australian cricket icon, Brett Lee for a song back in 2006. Before the start of the MI vs RCB match, the fans and players at the stadium observed a moment of silence for the late singer. Both teams also played the match with black armbands as a mark of respect.

YashaVanshi vs TraviShek

IPL is reaching newer heights in terms of batting with every new season, and the openers have been leading the mantle of elevating the batting standards of the league.

For the last two years, it has been the opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, popularly known as TraviShek, and this year, we have a new fierce opening combo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who are setting the stage on fire with their nonchalant strokeplay.

The left-handed pair recently became the fastest pair to reach 500 runs in IPL in just 248 balls, breaking the record of Gautam Gambhir and Virendra Sehwag (309 balls).

With the recent trend of creating new portmanteaus for such destructive opening pairs, the new popular pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is being given new names, such as Yashavanshi or Jaisoorya.

RR Official Caught Using Mobile Phone During Match

In a viral clip during an IPL match, Rajasthan Royals' team manager Romi Bhinder was seen using a mobile phone in the players' dugout with teen prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi beside him.

It could be a potential breach of IPL’s Player and Match Officials Area (PMOA) protocol, which says that a team manager can only use a mobile phone in the dressing room and not the dugout.

A BCCI official told PTI that prima facie it looks like a breach of IPL's PMOA protocol, and action can be initiated against the franchise official once the match referee submits his report. The punishment for the breach can be either a fine or even a match ban.

Quote Of The Day

Prasidh Krishna was adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for his four-wicket haul against the Lucknow Super Giants, playing a critical role in his team's winning performance.

Krishna credited his brilliant show with the ball to the support staff, which includes mentor Ashish Nehra and fast bowling coach Naeem Amin. On being asked about his preparations before the game, the tall and lanky fast bowler replied that he tries to learn from the experience of the top support staff they have and then executes the learning on the field.

You have a lot of experience in our dressing room. So just make sure you get a piece of each one's brain and make use of that on the ground," Krishna said after winning the "Player of the Match" award.

Matheesha Pathirana Obtain NOC For IPL 2026

Sri Lankan fast bowler, Matheesha Pathirana, has finally obtained the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sri Lanka cricket and is all set to join the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for IPL 2026.

KKR brought the 23-year-old pacer for a whopping INR 18 crore in the auction, but unfortunately, he sustained a calf injury during the T20 World Cup.

As SLC made it mandatory to pass the fitness test to obtain NOC for IPL, Pathirana finally crossed the hurdle and could be available for selection for KKR from April 19.

Beyond Lip Service

The Assam Cricket Association has announced a reward of INR 25 lakhs for the curator and groundsmen of the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati for their hard work to make all three games possible at the venue despite heavy rains.

Rajasthan Royals played three games at this venue against Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, respectively, and all the games were affected by the rain. The match between RR and MI was even shortened to 11 overs per side due to inclement weather.

Elsewhere

Newly inducted PSL team, Rawalpindi Pindiz, are having a torrid debut season as they lost their fifth consecutive match in the tournament to Quetta Gladiators by 61 runs. While chasing a target of 183 runs, their batting failed miserably and got bundled at just 121 in 17.3 overs, thus losing the match by 61 runs.

On the other hand, Nepal's fast bowler Karan KC is handed a one-match ban for indirectly threatening the umpires in a social media post.

KC had written on social media: “If any player beats an umpire mistakenly, how many matches would he be banned for? Just for query?”

The post was not taken well by the Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association of Nepal, who showed their displeasure over the tweet and urged CAN to take strict action, after which the cricket player was handed a one-match ban.