(Cricket news) Umran Malik has only played two matches so far at this season’s IPL for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and has already caught attention for his pace. The 21 year old made his debut in the IPL because Thangarasu Natarajan tested positive for COVID-19. Umran had been helping the team as a net bowler and made his debut in List A cricket for Kashmir this year while also playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The pacer has already bowled six balls over 150km/ hour in two matches for the Sunrisers and now holds the record for the fastest ball bowled by an Indian as he clocked a 152.95 km/ hour against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The previous record was held by Navdeep Saini who had bowled 152.85 km/hour two years ago.
Umran’s late inclusion may have robbed us of his future exploits but there is still one match remaining for the team and one more good performance might give him the chance to be a part of a bigger dream. Umran had conceded 27 runs in his first match against Kolkata Knight Riders where he also bowled 13 dot balls, in the next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore he gave away 21 runs while taking the wicket of Srikar Bharat and this time bowled 11 dot balls.
The speed has been on top gear for Umran in the two games he has played, India always had a lack of bowlers who could bowl over 150km/ hour and fast bowlers also have a higher risk of injury. Umran still has plenty of time until he is given bigger opportunities to take on but has now shown his capabilities with the ball in such a short period of time. The IPL has once again proven to be one of the best public relation platforms for all the players, even if they are from other countries and are uncapped.
Sunrisers have already been eliminated in this season as only Rashid Khan and Jason Holder have been the positive points for the team. With 16 wickets from 13 matches, Rashid has been the best performer but Jason Holder stole the show in the second phase of the league as he picked up an impressive 12 wickets in just seven matches for the team. They will play their last match against Mumbai Indians tomorrow and will hope Rashid and Umran can give them something to cheer about, a victory is the best way to bid farewell.
Also read: Need to track Umran Malik's progress: Kohli
