“Even a purse of Rs 520 crore…”: IPL winner-coach's surprising comment on Jasprit Bumrah

The Indian cricket team toured Australia after suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of New Zealand. To make matters worse, regular captain Rohit Sharma missed the first game due to the birth of his second child. Jasprit Bumrah has come as a godsend as India's stand-in captain. He not only led the team to victory over Australia by 295 runs but also played an important role in the victory. Bumrah took 8 wickets including a five-for in the game and won the Player of the Match award.

Talking about his contribution in the first Test against Australia in Perth, former India player Ashish Nehra said that if the player had come to the IPL auction, he would have got a huge amount. Nehra is the coach of Gujarat Titans. While in this role, he won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2022.

Notably, ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Mumbai Indians had retained Bumrah as the first-choice pick for Rs 18 crore. The right-arm fast bowler made his IPL debut in 2013 and since then he has always been a part of the MI franchise. Before every auction, MI retains the player and as a result, he is never put under pressure in a bidding war.

While Bumrah's price in the auction is not known yet, Nehra feels that even a purse of Rs 520 crore will not be enough for teams to buy him.

“As a bowler, Jasprit Bumrah has done this many times. Rohit Sharma is not playing and you are captaining the team in the first match of the tour. Obviously there will be extra pressure. But the way Bumrah has handled the pressure. The handling is extremely commendable,” Ashish Nehra told Star Sports.

“The way Bumrah led the team after the 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand is fantastic. You can't beat Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah). If Bumrah was in the auction, anything could have happened. Wasn't even a purse.” Rs 520 crore will not be enough for IPL teams,” he further said.