IPL 2021: Gautam Gambhir says 'Only one person' can take on Jasprit Bumrah

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir believes that South Africa's star player AB de Villiers is the only batsman in the Indian Premier League who can dominate a bowler like Jasprit Bumrah. Gambhir, while speaking on the Star Sports Network about RCB's chances at this year's IPL, said Virat Kohli has got a huge cushion in the form of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers, who were on top of their form while playing in the first phase of the tournament. 

Gambhir said that someone like De Villiers is a huge cushion to have because he is the only person who can take on the likes of Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah. While calling De Villiers a "freak", Gambhir said he has not seen anyone else who has done that consistently against a bowler like Bumrah. Gambhir further highlighted the amount of pressure that will be on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to win the title for RCB this year. 

In comparison to international sides, the 2011 World Cup winner claims that IPL teams do not have as many world-class bowlers. He believes that every IPL team probably has 2-3 international bowlers in the starting XI, as well as a couple of domestic bowlers, who batsmen like Kohli and De Villiers will be able to dominate. According to Gambhir, the RCB's failure to win an IPL trophy adds to the pressure.

RCB in IPL 2021

RCB's previous best performance in the IPL came in 2016 when the side had reached the final of the competition. For the next couple of seasons, RCB failed to even make it to the playoffs and kept losing matches at crucial junctures in the competition. However, the side made a comeback in 2020 and managed to reach the top four before losing another important match to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator. RCB continued its good form from the 2020 edition and won five out of seven games in the first leg of IPL 2021. The team is currently placed third on the points table and will be eager to win its maiden title when the tournament resumes on Sunday.  

The second phase of IPL 2021 is scheduled to begin with a blockbuster clash between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, September 19. The knockout stage of the competition will begin on October 10 with the final slated to be held on October 15 in Dubai. 

Image: PTI