"Bring Bumrah or else you will get stuck" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians' IPL 2025 loss to Gujarat Titans

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Mumbai Indians (MI) need Jasprit Bumrah to be fit and available to turn around their fortunes in IPL 2025. He questioned their selections against the Gujarat Titans (GT) and pointed out that the five-time champions lack a fast bowler.

MI allowed GT to set a 197-run target after asking them to bat first in Match 9 of IPL 2025 in Ahmedabad on Saturday, March 29. The visitors managed only 160/6 in the chase to lose the game by 36 runs, their second successive defeat at the start of the tournament.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener questioned the Mumbai Indians' selections and utilization of their resources and noted that they need Bumrah's services to resolve their issues.

"Mujeeb (Ur Rahman) was playing but Vignesh Puthur wasn't. Puthur picked up three wickets in the last match and you didn't play him. The selection disappointed me a little. (Mitchell) Santner bowled only three overs and Mujeeb bowled only two. Satyanarayana Raju does well, but you had saved only the death overs for him. He is a bit of a death specialist, but I don't think they are getting it right," Chopra said (15:15).

"You are missing Bumrah but you are not using the resources at your disposal properly. The ball was even reversing this time, but that much penetration was not seen because all three bowlers - Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar and Hardik Pandya - bowl at 135 kph. They are missing a proper, proper fast bowler. Bring Bumrah or else you will get stuck," he added.

Aakash Chopra also wondered why the Mumbai Indians played Ryan Rickelton ahead of Will Jacks against GT. He pointed out that the England all-rounder had smoked a 41-ball century and taken Rashid Khan to the cleaners the last time he played an IPL game at the Narendra Modi Stadium (IPL 2024).

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"The 'RR' pair is not working" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians' opening issues in IPL 2025

Rohit Sharma managed only eight runs in the Mumbai Indians' IPL 2025 loss to the Gujarat Titans. [P/C: Getty]

Reflecting on the Mumbai Indians' chase, Aakash Chopra noted that Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton were found wanting once again.

"Mohammed Siraj hit Rohit Sharma's stumps. The ball came in. Zero and eight are his two scores, which is not a good story. The start hasn't been good. Ryan Rickelton has been dismissed off inside edges both times. They might have to make a change there because the 'RR' pair is not working. It is not doing the job properly," he said (17:30) in the same video.

The cricketer-turned-analyst questioned Hardik Pandya's batting position in Saturday's game.

"Hardik Pandya, you will have to come up the order. What are you doing? You cannot send Robin Minz above you because the required run rate was already very high. The game had already gone there, but you still sent Minz because you needed a left-right combination. It just defeats me," Chopra elaborated.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra opined that the Mumbai Indians have a lot of questions to answer before their next game. He highlighted that MI need to address their selection and batting order issues apart from requiring an out-and-out pace bowler.