July 5, 2024

The Bumrah Effect: Analyzing How India’s Star Player Impacts Beyond Four Overs

Technically, neither the Laws of Cricket nor the Playing Conditions permit Jasprit Bumrah to bowl more than four overs in a T20 match. Yet, when it comes to Bumrah, technicalities often take a backseat.

Before diving deeper, let’s take a moment to appreciate his World Cup performance. Just two bowlers competed in the 1987 World Cup: Imran Khan (17 wickets at 13.05 average and 18.94 average) and Craig McDermott (18 wickets at 18.94 average and economy rate of 4.67) and an economy of 4.45)—managed to take 15 wickets in an era where ODI batting resembled a compressed version of Test cricket. Back then, few paid attention to field restrictions, and coaches would admonish batters for attempting unconventional shots in the nets.

Fast forward nearly 37 years, and Bumrah showcased his skills in a format dominated by aggressive batting and defensive bowling. His remarkable 15 wickets, spread over eight teams in two countries, came at an economy of 4.17 and an astounding average of 8.26. Whether you analyze the data or stretch your metrics, it’s nearly impossible to portray these figures as anything less than extraordinary.

His statistics are so striking that it’s only a matter of time before children with bats in hand throw tantrums at bedtime, with parents finding creative ways to channel the “Bumrah threat” to settle them down.

But let’s move past these cross-era comparisons and focus on the recent World Cup—the largest in the sport’s history. Exceptional numbers, of course, stem from outstanding bowling. but… did the batters even try to hit Bumrah?

According to CricViz, among bowlers who delivered at least 150 balls in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Jasprit Bumrah faced the slightest aggression from batters. If we lower the threshold to 100 balls, only Alzarri Joseph shares this distinction.

While batters were slightly more aggressive against Joseph than Bumrah, there are a few noteworthy observations. Batters were able to rotate the strike and score some runs against Joseph. In contrast, against Bumrah, they often opted to play defensively, with an impressive 26.1% of his deliveries either defended or left alone.

Note: Not only does Bumrah lead the charts, but Arshdeep also ranks second. Remarkably, both bowlers took wickets at a rate of less than two overs each, making them pivotal to India’s success.

Typically, Bumrah’s overs, or twenty percent of his innings, were completed by the opposing teams. While Bumrah didn’t turn it into a 20-overs-versus-16-overs contest, he certainly tilted the balance in his favor.

But why did batters choose not to attack Bumrah? What were the risks involved?

When batters attempted to attack Bumrah, they lost wickets more frequently than against most other bowlers—which you likely anticipated.

Now, consider his impressive economy rate of 5.25. Even when they took their chances, batters struggled to score even close to a run a ball off him.

Bumrah proved to be more economical against aggressive shots than bowlers typically are, regardless of the type of stroke. Let that sink in.

Why would any batter risk attacking a bowler who restricts their scoring and increases their chances of getting out? It makes more sense to target Bumrah’s teammates instead. This brings us to the crux of this discussion: how one man influenced batting strategies throughout the World Cup.

Impact Beyond the Four-Over Quota

Understanding Jasprit Bumrah’s influence on the game extends beyond his four-over quota. Throughout the World Cup, he consistently reduced the scoring rate, which led opposing teams to take more significant risks immediately after he finished his overs.

The aggresive shots attempted by batters at 2024 T20 World Cup

Of the 46 aggressive strokes illustrated in the graphic above, nine were potential dismissals: one was overturned on DRS, three were dropped catches, and five resulted in wickets. This indicates that a Bumrah over almost invariably compelled batters to alter their approach—often to India’s advantage.

Just two bowlers competed in the 1987 World Cup: Imran Khan (17 wickets at 13.05 average and 18.94 average) and Craig McDermott (18 wickets at 18.94 average and economy rate of 4.67). Consider the final, where South Africa needed 54 runs in six overs. While nine runs per over was an achievable target, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller understood that two of those overs would be bowled by Bumrah. To mitigate the challenge, they aimed to reduce the asking rate beforehand. As a result, Klaasen took the initiative and scored 24 runs against Axar Patel when he came on.

This was not an isolated incident; teams often began aggressive strategies against India before targeting other sides.

The % of attacking shots between overs 15-20 at 2024 T20 World Cup

In the death overs (17-20), teams played a similar number of aggressive strokes against India as they did against other sides. However, they targeted Bumrah less frequently than his teammates, which is to be expected.

The strain employed in the two overs leading up to this phase may need to be more apparent. Bumrah typically bowls two of the last four overs, prompting the opposition to increase their percentage of attacking shots in the preceding overs.

While batters attacked 63% of the balls in the 15th and 16th overs against other teams, that figure rose to 66% against India. If Bumrah was not bowling in either of those overs, the percentage jumped to 70%.

Bumrah, therefore, compelled the opposition to adjust their tactics, dictating their attacking patterns throughout the innings in a format where batters are generally aggressive and bowlers focus on defense.

Cheer on your favorite player! Visit our site to show them your support and make a difference.

Top Cricket News | T20 Blast |  T20 Blast News | Bangladesh Premier League | Big Bash League | Cricket WC | IPL | PSL