Anil Kumble praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi for outsmarting Jasprit Bumrah with smart batting. He also pointed out Mumbai Indians’ lack of intent during the run chase, while highlighting Rajasthan Royals’ disciplined bowling and strong all-round performance.
Published Date – 8 April 2026, 03:17 PM
Hyderabad: Former India captain and one of the best leg-spinners the game has ever seen, Anil Kumble, said that Suryavanshi made it look easy against one of the world’s best bowlers.
“First ball, he hits him for a six and then sets him up. He set the bowler up, not the other way around. We’ve generally seen Bumrah set up batters so many times, but here, Suryavanshi set Bumrah up to bowl that slower ball on the third delivery, and he was waiting for it to hit him for another six. It was brilliant batting by Vaibhav Suryavanshi, just the way he strikes the ball and the consistency he has shown in terms of strike rate. He is striking at close to 300 in every game and scoring more than 30 runs consistently, which is outstanding,” Kumble explained on JioHotstar’s Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live.
On MI’s run chase, Kumble said: “It felt like the Mumbai Indians lacked a bit of purpose and intent with the ball, and that certainly spilled over into the batting. It was always going to be a big task to score 151 in 11 overs, but the way the Rajasthan Royals bowlers came in, you could see the intent.
“They wanted to hit the deck hard. They have pace, both the opening fast bowlers, and they also took the pace off effectively. It wasn’t full like how Deepak Chahar bowled, it was more about hitting the deck. Sandeep Sharma once again proved what a reliable fast bowler he is, becoming a nemesis for Rohit Sharma yet again. He’s dismissed Rohit a few times now. It would be tough for any batter to keep going in those conditions. I thought MI had a bit of a chance when Rutherford was there, but even that glimmer of hope was taken away quickly,” Kumble said.
JioStar expert Faf du Plessis summed up RR’s all-round performance, saying: “It was a great effort by the Rajasthan Royals. They didn’t miss a beat. I thought they were superior to MI in all three departments. The way they came in and hit their lengths was beautiful to watch, and who can forget that opening partnership? The two youngsters at the top are really taking this IPL by storm.”
