'Deserves to be the most expensive player in the league": Aakash Chopra on Bumrah

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 7 (ANI): Following Mumbai Indians (MI) loss to Gujarat Titans (GT) in a last-ball thriller, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra hailed pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for his valiant spell which almost won five-time champions the game, saying that he deserves to be the "most expensive player" in the competition.
Bumrah continued to add to his list to brilliant spells as his figures of 2/19 almost prevented GT from chasing down 156 runs, but the revised target and conditions after rain were enough for GT as they pulled off a memorable last ball win, ending MI's six-match winning run and going to the top of the table.
Speaking on the 'Match Centre Live' on JioHotstar, Aakash, the JioStar expert, said about Bumrah, "Bumrah has made it a habit to produce game-changing spells. Coming in right after the strategic timeout and rain break, he dismissed Shubman Gill and then Shahrukh Khan, swinging the momentum back to MI. He is a once-in-a-generation talent -- you could talk about him endlessly. Frankly, he deserves to be the most expensive player in the league. It is unfortunate that he is not."
In eight matches during the competition after his return from injury, Bumrah has taken 13 wickets at an average of 16.46, with an economy rate of 6.68 and best figures of 4/22.
Speaking about Rahul Tewatia, who helped GT finish the match with his cameo of 12*, Aakash described him as a "true clutch player" and also recalled that once during his conversation with team's head coach Ashish Nehra, Nehra told him that he was ready to even spend Rs 10 crores to bring him into the team.
"Not many Indians can bat effectively at that number. He often faces just a handful of deliveries and is expected to clear the ropes every time. Today, he had only six balls -- he hit a crucial four. Adding to MI's troubles, they had five fielders inside the circle in the final over due to a fielding penalty. With just 15 to defend and coming back after a long break, it's tough to execute under pressure. That boundary off the first ball might have been prevented if the field was set differently. But that is how these games go," he concluded.
Since joining GT in 2022 as a finisher, Tewatia has scored 559 runs for the franchise in 40 innings at an average of 23.29 and a strike rate of over 151, with the best score of 43*.
Coming to the match, GT won the toss and opted to bowl first. A 71-run stand between Will Jacks (53 in 35 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Suryakumar Yadav (35 in 24 balls, with five fours) was the highlight as wickets fell regularly, restricting MI to 155/8 in their 20 overs.
Sai Kishore (2/34) was the pick of the bowlers for GT, while Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan and Gerald Coetzee took a wicket each.
The run-chase was a rollercoaster ride for both teams. GT did lose Sai Sudharsan early, but a 72-run stand between skipper Gill (43 in 46 balls, with three fours and a six) and Jos Buttler (30 in 27 balls, with three fours and a six) marked their comeback in the game.
In the 14th over, with GT 107/2, a rain break was taken with GT ahead as per the DLS Method. After the break, Jasprit Bumrah (2/19) and Trent Boult (2/22) brought MI back in the game, collapsing GT to 132/6 in 18 overs at the start of another rain break. This time, GT was behind.
When the game finally resumed, the revised target was 147 runs with one more over left. Rahul Tewatia (11*) and Gerald Coetzee (12) single-handedly finished the job for GT, earning them a win by three wickets on a last-ball thriller.
GT is at the top with eight wins, three losses and 16 points, while MI sits at fourth with seven wins and five losses, giving them 14 points. Their six-match win streak is finally broken.
Gill was given the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)