Umran Malik: The find of IPL 2022

Sunrisers Hyderabad shared a video of speedster Umran Malik talking about his IPL 2022 season on their social media accounts before their match against Gujarat Titans a couple of days back.

The humble and soft-spoken 22-year-old fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir acknowledged that he had been off the radar in the initial matches but that he had found his groove. All he wanted to do now was to keep extending his dream run, one game at a time.

Umran Malik had the entire Wankhede Stadium on its feet by the end of his impressive 4-0-25-5 spell on Wednesday night, with loud cries of "Umran, Umran" and "Malik, Malik" rightfully accompanying the standing ovation.

No, the audience didn't need the DJ to motivate them. The sheer rapidity with which Malik shattered one set of stumps after another had left them astounded. Four of his five hapless victims were clean-bowled, while the fifth - Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya - was caught behind on a feisty bouncer.

Sunil Gavaskar wants Umran Malik to bleed blue

There was talk among commentators about how Umran Malik should be fast-tracked into the Indian team, even as supporters exited the stadium eagerly discussing the Srinagar-born son of a fruit-seller for whom 150 kph-plus deliveries are no longer a novelty.

Umran Malik should be on the England tour later this month for the one-off Test, according to Sunil Gavaskar. Kevin Pietersen, the difficult-to-please former England batsman, smiled and shook his head in total agreement.

"He better be playing that game because I'm going to be calling that India-England Test match," he remarked.

But while the rest of the world is enthralled, the player remains level-headed. Questioned at the post-match award ceremony about the possibility of him bowling a 155 kph delivery in the near future, Umran Malik said:

"Uparwala dalva-de toh daal denge, Inshallah."

Umran Malik's bowling has been characterized by speed and accuracy in this ongoing edition of the IPL, with batters being beaten by the sheer, raw, and unplayable velocity with which he bowls. His development in the game has been equally rapid: he had never played cricket with a leather ball until five years ago.

Umran Malik, who is currently based in Jammu and was previously mentored by former Indian player Irfan Pathan, began his IPL career as a net bowler with the Sunrisers Hyderabad before being drafted in as a Covid replacement for T Natarajan last year.

He made such a positive impression that he was called up to bowl in the Indian team's practice sessions ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2021. Following that, he was named in India's 'A' team for the tour of South Africa.

Malik seems to have gained control of his blistering pace this year and the ramifications have been enormous. Batsmen who are used to facing the common T20 variety of slower balls, knuckle balls, and cutters are having a difficult time simply protecting their stumps from being dislodged.

Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and David Miller were four of his five victims at the Wankhede, all of whom are international players. The ball that knocked Saha out for 68 was bowled at a speed of 152.8 kph. Also, close to 91% of all his deliveries bowled this season have been above 140 kph.

Malik is in his first full season on the big stage. If a rough diamond can generate this type of speed, the polished product is going to be a nightmare for batsmen all over the world.

Malik certainly has a bright future ahead of him. If managed well, he could be the game-changing fast bowler for whom India have been waiting.