By Parth Dhall | Sep 27, 2025, 03:57 pm
**What’s the story?**
India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel recently explained the rationale behind using Jasprit Bumrah mainly in the Powerplay during the 2025 T20 Asia Cup. This strategy, which deviates from Bumrah’s usual role in the middle and death overs, has drawn criticism from some quarters.
Traditionally, Bumrah is allocated overs toward the latter part of the innings. However, the team management has been employing him more during the initial overs in this tournament.
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### Strategy explained
**Why Bumrah is being used in the Powerplay**
Speaking after the India-Sri Lanka match, Morkel detailed the team’s thinking behind this approach. He said,
“Look, it’s obviously a tough job to bowl in the Powerplay, but Jasprit is one of the best bowlers. And with the new ball, obviously we’re looking to take a wicket.”
Morkel added that using Bumrah upfront makes life easier later in the innings and fits into their overall plan of relying on spin bowlers after the Powerplay overs.
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### Powerplay performance
**Three wickets in the Powerplay**
Bumrah, known as one of the most prolific death-over bowlers in T20Is, has been bowling three overs in the Powerplay in all four of his Asia Cup appearances so far.
In this phase, he has taken three wickets—one each against UAE, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—showing that the strategy is yielding early breakthroughs.
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### Wicket-taking focus
**“Golden rule in T20 cricket is to take wickets”**
Morkel emphasized the importance of wickets in T20 cricket, calling it the “golden rule.”
He stated,
“We know the number one rule or the golden rule in T20 cricket is to take wickets, and if we can do that by using one of our best bowlers upfront, it’s a plus for us.”
He also noted that this strategy remains flexible and can change based on daily assessments.
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### Statistical overview
**Five wickets in Asia Cup 2025**
According to ESPNcricinfo, Bumrah has taken a total of five wickets in four matches during the Asia Cup 2025, with a bowling average of 22.00. However, his economy rate of 7.33 is higher than his usual standards.
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### Did you know?
**Bumrah’s death-over exploits**
Despite his current Powerplay role, Bumrah is renowned for his excellent death-over bowling in T20 internationals. ESPNcricinfo’s stats highlight his impact:
– 43 wickets taken in the last four overs phase
– 217 dot balls bowled
– Economy rate of 6.86 during death overs
This shows that while the team is experimenting with his usage upfront, Bumrah remains a formidable force in the closing stages of T20 innings.
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India’s innovative use of Bumrah in the Powerplay reflects the team’s adaptive strategies and confidence in their star pacer to make early inroads. Whether this approach continues depends on ongoing assessments throughout the tournament.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/morkel-reveals-why-jasprit-bumrah-is-being-used-in-powerplay/story