“Not a best vs best battle”

One of the biggest match-ups to look out for in the 20th game of the ongoing Indian Premier League on Monday, April 7, will be between Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. As Royal Challengers Bengaluru RCB) travel to take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium, this mini-battle will keep everyone on the tenterhooks.

Bumrah had been sidelined from cricket after he suffered a back injury during the Sydney Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He even missed out on India’s victorious run in the ICC Champions Trophy. After a considerable time spent in rehabilitation, the speedster will finally be back in action in MI’s game against RCB.

Former India and Mumbai batter Sanjay Manjrekar has now stirred the pot by saying that it will not be a battle between two of the best current Indian players. The outspoken TV commentator and pundit, speaking to JioHotstar, mentioned that Kohli has passed his prime while Bumrah is still at the peak of his career.

“Virat Kohli was at his best 5-6 years back. Jasprit Bumrah is at his peak. Jasprit Bumrah’s stocks are rising. Virat Kohli’s stocks used to be there at the top, but not now. It is not a best vs best battle,” Manjrekar told JioHotstar (via Hindustan Times).

Virat Kohli enjoys a modest record against Jasprit Bumrah

Kohli, who has faced 95 deliveries from Bumrah so far in the IPL, has scored 140 runs against him, while getting out on five occasions. Notably, Bumrah got the better of the former RCB captain in the same fixture in Mumbai last season.

The Delhi batter averages 28 against the pacer, and has an impressive strike-rate of 147.40. Kohli has scored 15 boundaries against Bumrah, while also hitting him for a maximum on six occasions.

Kohli’s RCB were leading the IPL 2025 table until a week ago, but have now been displaced by Delhi Capitals. They are currently third in the league table with four points. MI, who have lost three of their four games so far, are placed eighth.

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Mohul is a senior football, cricket and Olympic Sports writer at Sportskeeda, and has been in the organisation for more than 6 years. Some of his best work includes 118 exclusive interviews with famous sports personalities, insider talk and transfer speculations. He has also covered the entirety of the 2023-24 ISL season, Kalinga Super Cup and 2023-24 Pro Kabaddi League from the ground.

An MBA degree holder in Finance, Mohul is also a professional cricketer and is currently in the reserves for Hyderabad’s Ranji Trophy team. He’s also played league football in Hyderabad.

His football interest sparked after watching countless Rahim League matches at the Gymkhana and supporting the State Bank of Hyderabad. He grew up hearing stories about the legendary Syed Abdul Rahim and his incredible football team of the 1960s, which had a big influence on him. He has admired Manchester United’s dominance in English and European football as well.

Tennis star Leander Paes, Olympic gold-medalist Abhinav Bindra, cricketing legend Rahul Dravid and football star Chinglensana Singh are Mohul’s favorite athletes. He is a staunch Hyderabad FC supporter, and Sahil Tavora’s 88th-minute equalizer in the 2021-22 ISL Cup final against Kerala Blasters is one of his favorite footballing moments. Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Olympics also had a huge impact on Mohul.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava