Jasprit Bumrah has been a god among mortals in the T20 World Cup 2026. He’s going at 6.62 runs per over in the tournament. For comparison, all the other Indian bowlers combined are going for almost 9 runs an over. The difference is stark. He was the point of difference in the India vs England semi-final. His two death overs went for just 14, while the overall run rate of the match was 12.50.
It’s fair to say New Zealand will be wary of Bumrah going into the T20 World Cup final. But the Kiwis have always posed a challenge to Bumrah. Across formats, the Indian ace pacer’s numbers aren’t great against them. Even in T20Is, Bumrah’s best format, the Black Caps manage to nullify his effect just a little.
Prepared for Bumrah
New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips praised the one-of-a-kind fast bowler but pointed out that even Bumrah can have a bad game. His performance may not suggest it, but at the end of the day, just like every other cricketer, he’s human. The all-rounder also highlighted that the Kiwi batters handled Bumrah well in the recent T20I series, played mere days before the T20 World Cup commenced.
“We had a really good trip against him in the bilateral series, but he’s a class bowler. He’s got so many variations. He hits the blockhole at the death incredibly well. You know, and he’s human as well. He is allowed to have a bad day, as are the rest of us. So hopefully we have a good day against him,” Phillips told reporters in Ahmedabad.
New Zealand to learn from England’s mistakes
Phillips stated that they’ll try to play him differently, unlike what England tried two days ago against him. Bumrah tried yorkers almost every ball, especially in his last over, and some of them didn’t land. But still, England’s batters weren’t able to hit him over the ropes. Phillips is certain Bumrah won’t follow the same plan against them, and they’ll adapt accordingly.
“The way England played him in terms of trying to take on the last two overs and give themselves as much of a chance as possible. That was the tactic that they’d employed. It’s not necessarily going to be that, per se. As I said, a bowler is allowed to miss, and if he happens to miss, we do have to put it away. That also means that if he does bowl well, we do have to, I guess, accommodate other things and adapt,” he added.
Jasprit Bumrah vs New Zealand in T20Is
| Innings | Overs | Wickets | Average | Economy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 14 | 53 | 16 | 23.37 | 7.05 |
| 2026 series | 4 | 15 | 4 | 35.50 | 9.46 |
