Umran Malik was a revelation during the IPL 2022 season. The 24-year-old pacer impressed everyone with his express pace. Every great speed merchant, from Brett Lee to Shoaib Akhtar, took notice of him. Some even asked the BCCI to expedite his entry into the side. In the T20I and ODI formats, he made his international debut. However, Umran in the SunRisers Hyderabad ranks has not fared well in the IPL 2023. He has only played seven games this year, taking five wickets at an economy of 10.35 per over. He last played for SRH on April 29 and has yet to play this month.
“League’s fastest bowler sitting out baffles me. Umran Malik wasn’t handled well by his team,” Irfan Pathan wrote in a tweet.
In a recent interaction organized by Jio Cinema, the IPL’s broadcasters, Brett Lee suggested that SRH use him properly.
“You’ve mentioned Umran Malik. I think the thing about Sunrisers Hyderabad is that I don’t think they have used their bowlers in the right positions so I would love to see Umran Malik in the powerplay. He has bowled once in a powerplay this season and he went for 20-odd runs but that was a one-off case. It’s almost like saying to a batsman that you have to bat but if you get a duck you never going to bat ever again. You need to have faith and you need to have a commitment in these guys coming through. I would always give the fast bowler in IPL a brand new ball and give him the correct field, giving him the confidence to run and bowl the old ball,” he said