File image of Umran Malik© BCCI
Indian Premier League (IPL) has produced a lot of domestic talent for Team India. From the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, IPL is highly responsible for taking Indian cricket to new heights. One such talented cricketer, who rose to fame through IPL is pacer Umran Malik. The Jammu and Kashmir based pacer, who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, took everyone by surprise as he troubled the batters with his blistering speed in IPL 2022. His performance even led to his Team India debut in June 2022 against Ireland.
However, the 24-year-old pacer also proved to be really expensive as many batters found numerous ways to score runs against him. As a result of that Umran lost his charm and featured in only eight matches in IPL 2023, followed by only one match in 2024.
Umran recently revealed that he would be missing out on the ongoing Buchi Babu tournament in Tamil Nadu, due to dengue.
"I would have loved to play in the tournament, but I'm just recovering from dengue," Umran was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.
Umran, who worked with former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan during the Ranji Trophy, stated that the less domestic appearance has resulted in his poor form.
"I was fully prepared that season, but the weather didn't help. Then I was really looking forward to the IPL as I'd gained a lot in the months preceding the IPL. Unfortunately even that didn't go the way I wanted. But it also gave me the time to work on things I wanted to in the practice sessions. I've definitely become a better bowler if you ask me. After the IPL, I injured my hamstring and just as I recovered I'm down with dengue," said Umran.
"These days I'm bowling a lot with the new ball because I believe swing can make a huge difference at my pace. I want to learn a few things, especially how to formulate a plan and execute it. If you have that, then you will be better prepared to handle the challenges. When I'm bowling in a match, it is not about myself or what I do. I've to fit into the bowling group and their plans and compliment them," he added.