Virat Kohli vs Jasprit Bumrah could well decide the MI vs RCB clash at Wankhede. Kohli has scored at a healthy rate vs Bumrah, but the MI star has the wood over him in recent years
Indian cricket fans will have a feast for their eyes on Monday as two of their biggest superstars go head-to-head at the Wankhede Stadium. The legendary Virat Kohli will return to the venue of his 2011 World Cup triumph, where he will face the world’s best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, in what promises to be a mouth-watering IPL 2025 clash.
Virat Kohli vs Jasprit Bumrah – Battle of the GOATs
Arguably the greatest Indian batter vs the greatest Indian bowler. What’s not to like? Virat’s numbers speak for themselves. He’s the leading run-getter in IPL history, leaps and bounds ahead of the next best. He has the most hundreds (8), and the second most 50+ scores in the IPL ever.
He will come up against a fit-again Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah last played in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, single-handedly carrying the team on his shoulders. In the IPL, he’s among the top 10 wicket-takers with 165 wickets in 133 matches. Only Lasith Malinga has a better bowler average than the MI spearhead among players with more than 150 wickets.
Virat Kohli, however, has managed the threat of Jasprit Bumrah well in the IPL. In the 16 innings the duo have faced off, Kohli has struck at a strike rate of 147.36, scoring 140 runs in just 95 deliveries. Bumrah’s got the better of his counterpart five times in these outings, but Kohli’s strike-rate and average of 28 tell you he’s had the upper hand so far.
Kohli vs Bumrah H2H
| Inns | 16 |
| Runs | 140 |
| Balls faced | 95 |
| Avg | 28 |
| SR | 147.7 |
| Wickets | 5 |
Will Bumrah dominate Kohli?
While Kohli has an impressive strike rate against Bumrah, there is a caveat to that stat. Kohli dominated the match-up in the early years of Bumrah’s IPL career. In the first six seasons since Bumrah made his debut, he dismissed the RCB superstar only once. In that period, Kohli amassed runs at a strike rate of 150.
However, since then, Bumrah has dismissed Kohli four times in the last seasons he’s featured in. Kohli’s strike-rate has dipped to 141. While that is still above par, given the batting-friendly conditions at Wankhede and Bengaluru, Virat might have some work to do.
Even last year, Bumrah had Kohli dismissed for 3. The duo have been long-time teammates with the Indian team and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well. Kohli’s folly to balls outside the off-stump is well known, and Bumrah will be certain to exploit that with the swinging new ball.
However, Kohli could breathe a sigh of relief if MI follow its usual pattern with Bumrah. Over the years, the five-time champions tend to bowl Bumrah just for a solitary powerplay over, putting his skills to use in the death. With Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult as swing experts, a similar strategy could be on the cards during the MI vs RCB clash. But given the monumental clash, Hardik might be tempted to give his best bowler a chance to put an early dent in the opposition’s plans.
