Hardik Pandya Breaks Silence On Jasprit Bumrah’s IPL Comeback In MI vs GT Clash

Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya [Source: AP]

It was a happy night for Mumbai indians fans as Hardik Pandya & Co. finally ended their losing streak with a dominant display over the Gujarat Titans on April 20. The clash played at Ahmedabad was a statement for a team that is looking to script a comeback.

Speaking of comebacks, MI star Jasprit Bumrah also made a mega comeback. The bowler took his maiden IPL 2026 wicket in the match while giving away only 15 runs from his 3-over spell and ending his drought in this edition of the tournament.

However, after the MI vs GT IPL 2026 match, Hardik Pandya, the skipper, had something to say about Jasprit Bumrah.

A Night For Hardik Pandya And MI Fans To Remember

At best, it was Tilak Varma’s night to be precise. India’s mega-popular middle-order batter had been struggling with his form so far this season. However, Tilak etched a 45-ball 101 to topple massive records and help Mumbai reach a total of 199 on the board.

It was Tilak Varma who steadied a crumbling ship of MI and stood back against the Gujarat Titans bowling attack alongside Naman Dhir. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, the skipper himself, scored only 15 runs with the bat while taking 1 wicket with the ball.

After the big win and his own sub-par performance, Pandya was expressive about the Bumrah breakthrough against Gujarat.

Also Read- Hardik Pandya Scripts Huge Milestone For MI In IPL 2026 Match Vs GT

Hardik Pandya Points Out The ‘Jasprit Bumrah Problem’

Speaking after the match, Hardik was sarcastically repulsive against questions which asked him about how his captaincy has affected team dynamics and Bumrah by a major margin.

In response to the question, Pandya said it was a ‘Jasprit Bumrah problem’ and had little to do with his captaincy. As per Pandya, whenever a captain needs Bumrah, he is the best one to do the job with a new ball.

“In 137-138 appearances, Bumrah has bowled the first over 8 or 9 times. So it is not a Hardik Pandya problem, it is a Jasprit Bumrah problem. You use him when we need him the most, not just at the start. Today, we needed him to have an impact at the start. No one is better than him,” Pandya shared on Bumrah.

Notably, before the MI vs GT match, Bumrah was wicketless in IPL 2026 across the five matches he played, while also being somewhat expensive. Nevertheless, after the GT clash, Bumrah has an economy rate of 8.14 but a very poor bowling strike rate of 132.00.

Hardik Pandya Happy After MI’s Win

Besides Jasprit Bumrah, it was Mitchell Santner and AM Ghazanfar’s 2-fers and, most importantly, Ashwani Kumar’s spectacular 4-wicket haul that helped MI shame Gujarat at their home ground by bundling them out for just 100 runs.

“Very important. It is always challenging to go away and win. Ahmedabad has been tough for us as MI. We played good cricket. It feels very special as it was much needed,” Pandya said later, after the win.

With this win, the Mumbai Indians now move to the 7th position, having a huge jump from the bottom of the points table. They will next face Chennai Super Kings for a massive battle on April 23 at their home ground to further increase their chances for the playoffs.

Also Read- Gujarat Titans Registers Unwanted Record After Humiliating Loss Vs MI