Former India opener Kris Srikkanth believes veteran Mumbai Indians (MI) bowler Jasprit Bumrah may be dissatisfied with the club for re-signing all-rounder Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT). According to the 1983 World Cup champion, Jasprit Bumrah may be harmed by suggestions that Pandya may replace Rohit Sharma as MI captain in the future seasons.
On Sunday, November 26, Gujarat Titans kept Pandya on their team. They made this known when they published their IPL 2024 player retention list. But, in just a few hours, news arrived that Pandya had been dealt to MI. Monday arrived, bringing the official announcement of this trade.
After all of the commotion, Jasprit Bumrah’s cryptic Instagram post, which read:
“Silence is sometimes the best answer.”
Kris Srikkanth was cited on his YouTube channel (h/t Rediff) as stating about Jasprit Bumrah in the aftermath of Pandya’s comeback and the former’s enigmatic post:
“You can’t find another cricketer like Jasprit Bumrah. Be it Tests or white-ball cricket, he is one of the best going around. He gave it his all in the World Cup. And as you said, in the fifth Test against England, he was the stand-in Test captain in 2022.
Kris Srikkanth
He Added:
“He might be regretting. It could be his ego, or he might be hurt by the fact that he stayed back at MI and gave his all, but the team is bringing back someone who had left and celebrating him. He feels it’s not fair.”
Kris Srikkanth
Pandya first played in the IPL for Mumbai Indians in 2015, quickly becoming an integral part of the team. But, before the 2022 IPL mega auction, he was let go. He then joined the Gujarat Titans as the skipper.
“Something similar happened with Jadeja at CSK” – Srikkanth Confident of MI Resolving Jasprit Bumrah’s Issues
In the instance of Ravindra Jadeja and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Srikkanth stated that there were conflicts between the player and the franchise as well, but that they were resolved. He is optimistic the MI management would do the same for Jasprit Bumrah:
“Something similar happened with Ravindra Jadeja at CSK. But the team management and the captain came in and sorted out everything. In my opinion, I am sure the team management will sit with Pandya, Bumrah, and Rohit and sort out things. As a team only, you can only win championships. I would been hurt if something like that happened to me.”
“After Hardik Pandya has returned, Bumrah might think, I am from Gujarat, I could have captained that team. I don’t [know] whether it’s a lack of communication. Something must have happened. Otherwise, Bumrah is such a down-to-earth person. He is a fantastic human being if he is getting annoyed, obviously, something must have happened.”
Kris Srikkanth
Bumrah has appeared in 120 IPL games, capturing 145 wickets at a strike rate of 7.39 and an average of 23.30.