Over the years, we have grown accustomed to seeing Jasprit Bumrah top various elite bowling charts.
However, in the just-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Bumrah finds himself at the top of a list few would have expected him to feature in.
The Mumbai Indians pacer bowled more full tosses (58) than anyone else in IPL 2025, by some distance. In fact, this is the highest number of full tosses he has delivered in a single IPL season.
Bumrah’s seemingly generous offerings, though, weren’t capitalised on by many. His economy of 7.44 from full tosses was the best among bowlers who sent down more than 10 such deliveries in IPL 2025. To add to that, the 31-year-old claimed six wickets with full tosses – again, the most this season.
The inability to put away Bumrah’s full tosses could be attributed to two factors: the largely quantifiable elements of swing and swerve, and the immeasurable impact of his aura.
Bumrah thrived following the return of the saliva rule, using reverse swing to great effect and making even full tosses a formidable prospect. Add to that the much-discussed snap of his wrists, which imparts heavy backspin on the ball, and it becomes harder for batters to judge, not just the length, but also the height of the delivery.
Psychologically, his hard-earned reputation plays a significant role. With most teams employing a ‘do-not-take-on-Bumrah’ strategy, batters often approached him with a defensive mindset, which helped the pacer even when he erred in length.
Full, fuller, fullest
Assuming full tosses are not an intentional strategy, Bumrah’s glut of unbounced deliveries seems to be an outcome of trying to bowl fuller and nail more yorkers.
| Bowler | Back of a length | Full | Full toss | Half tracker | Length ball | Short | Yorker |
| Arshdeep Singh | 21.43% | 11.14% | 3.14% | 3.14% | 35.71% | 19.71% | 5.71% |
| Jasprit bumrah | 21.48% | 13.38% | 20.42% | 1.41% | 20.42% | 11.62% | 11.27% |
| Josh Hazlewood | 40.15% | 4.17% | 5.68% | 0.38% | 30.68% | 13.64% | 5.30% |
| Prasidh Krishna | 36.44% | 8.47% | 4.80% | 2.54% | 23.45% | 20.90% | 3.39% |
| Trent Boult | 19.36% | 12.72% | 7.23% | 2.02% | 40.75% | 8.38% | 9.54% |
In IPL 2025, he sent down 32 yorkers – the third-highest tally. Among the top five wicket-taking pacers this season, only his teammate Trent Boult delivered more. And that’s despite Bumrah missing the first four games of the campaign.
A closer look at the length distribution of the aforementioned top five – Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Josh Hazlewood, Bumrah, and Boult – highlights Bumrah’s aggressive approach with fuller deliveries.
More than 40 per cent of his balls were on the fuller side (full, yorker or full toss). None of the others had such a high share. Notably, among these five, Bumrah also had the largest gap between full-length balls and full tosses, pointing to the extra ‘lift’ he generates via his hyperextension and wrist-driven downforce.
Another standout is Bumrah’s reduced share of length balls. Among the five, he bowled the fewest in that category. Over the last few seasons, this trend has only become more pronounced.
Why the shift? Batters today are more comfortable taking on length deliveries – encouraged by shorter boundaries, friendlier rules, and the high-scoring nature of modern T20s.
Bumrah has responded by tweaking his lengths, relying more on back-of-a-length and fuller deliveries – effectively cutting out a major scoring option.
Gulf in class
Since the introduction of the Impact Player rule, the bat-ball balance in the IPL has tilted heavily in favour of the batters. Run rates have soared and totals of 200-plus runs have become routine.
Bumrah, however, has not just kept pace – he has outstripped the trend. The Indian quick ended IPL 2025 with an economy of 6.87 – the best for any bowler who delivered at least five overs in the season.
It’s long been accepted that Bumrah is a cut above the rest. But the gulf has never been this vast.
The difference in bowling average and economy between Bumrah and the rest has never been wider.
Across the last two seasons – the highest-scoring era in IPL history – Bumrah has conceded just 6.57 runs per over. No other bowler (minimum three wickets) has an economy rate of under 7.
The chasm is clear even in smaller samples. Since IPL 2024, Bumrah has bowled in 25 matches. He has gone for more than the match run-rate just three times. Only once – against Delhi Capitals this season – has he conceded over 10 runs an over.
Yet, despite his sustained brilliance, Mumbai Indians did not make the final as it fell to Punjab Kings in the Eliminator. Notably, Bumrah was taken for 40 runs in his four overs that night.
For all the advantages afforded by his unique action, what sets Bumrah apart is his ability to redesign his approach and stay ahead of the curve.
