IPL 2022: “Mere jazbaat jaag jaate hain, if someone says I'm bowling slow”: Umran Malik

Umran Malik became only the 4th bowler in IPL history to bowl a maiden in 20th over of an innings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Umran Malik's sheer speed has intimidated batters from all teams in the ongoing IPL 2022. Many people want the pacer to be rushed into the Indian team. While Umran still has a lot to learn, he shared some details about his incredible ability to bowl extremely fast and his first impressions of the IPL.

Umran was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the middle of the IPL 2021 season. Moving forward to the IPL 2022 season, Umran was one of the franchise's pre-auction retainers. The pacer from Jammu & Kashmir has been the talk of the T20 league since then.

Umran Malik told the Times of India how much he enjoys bowling fast and even hitting players on the helmet, as well as the feeling he gets when he sees them afraid to face him.

“When someone tells me I'm bowling too slow, toh mere jazbaat jaag jaate hain (my emotions come to the fore). I start bowling faster,” said the uncapped Indian pacer.

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Umran has sent stumps flying for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 15th edition of the IPL, and his pace has even intimidated a player like Shreyas Iyer.

“Yes, I love to castle batsmen. I love to hit batters on their helmet too. One, I feel that I've beaten the batter with my pace, and secondly, once the batter is scared, he doesn't try to hit you. It's good for me ki woh mere ko peeche khel rahe hain (batters are backing away from the stumps). My aim would be to not let them hit me from there. I want to keep them on the backfoot,” he further said.

Umran used to play tennis ball cricket when he was younger. Malik landed an IPL contract after fellow SRH cricketer Abdul Samad introduced him to the franchise as a net bowler. Samad was the one who sent Umran's bowling videos to SRH, who couldn't pass up the opportunity to sign him as an injury replacement in IPL Season 14.

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“I realized this in 2018, when I was playing tennis-ball cricket. Whenever a team from Punjab came to Jammu, they used to call me, and I would win the match for my local side. After that, I appeared for the trials of the Jammu and Kashmir U-19 team and was selected.

I would regularly practice with (Abdul) Samad (his J&K teammate). Samad bhai helped me a lot. He sent my bowling videos to the Sunrisers. SRH roped me in as a net bowler, and then I made it to the XI, which was a proud moment for me. Then I played matches and performed,” he explained.

(Times of India inputs)