Umran Malik : The new pace battery from India

The youngster has troubled many great batters with his furious and stunning pace, which has been his best weapon and a valuable asset for his bowling unit. The pacer has been pretty economical in his first class and IPL career. Hitting boundaries against his expeditious balls has been a great challenge for every batter, making him a considerable threat to the opponent's batting line-up. With his consistent ability to bowl at more than 145-plus kmph, Umran Malik has been a great success at death overs. 

Opportunity grabbed well!

Sunrisers Hyderabad bought Umran Malik in 2021 to replace their crucial bowler, T Natarajan. Replacing Natarajan was not easy, and nobody expected the youngster to be that effective. But Umran Malik, in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders, bowled a super stunning delivery at 151.03 kmph and marked his arrival. No Indian bowler has touched this margin before in the ongoing season. Later, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the quickie broke his record by bowling a 153 kmph delivery! In the exact match, he clocked several deliveries at a pace of around and above 150 kmph. Umran, with furious bowling, was catching everyone's eyes, and thus the pacer was being called the 'pace machine'!

Indian Waqar Younis? 

Not everyone can achieve the feat of being compared with a legendary player. Still, Umran Malik, with his unique bowling action and thunderbolt speed, proved his potential and achieved this feat. Many believe that the right-arm pacer's bowling style resembles Pakistan's iconic pacer Waqar Younis' bowling action. The former Indian Captain K Srikkanth also commented on Umran's bowling action, reminding him of Waqar Younis.

IPL: A perfect stage to display Umran's talent

Making his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad, KS Bharat became Umran's first IPL wicket, and since then, the sky has been the limit for Umran's thunderous pace! Although the youngster managed to grab just two wickets in his three games for Hyderabad the previous year, he still turned out to be a significant hurdle for opponents due to his unmatchable speed and perfect lines and lengths. Due to his outstanding talent, Umran was thus retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auctions. This was a giant leap for Umran Malik, and his exceptional skills were the reason. Umran had a significant challenge to provide justice to Hyderabad's trust in him as a bowler, but till now, he had been quite palpable in the first four games in the ongoing edition of IPL. The pacer clocked some severe stunning deliveries at more than 150 kmph in the season. During the match against Gujarat Titans, he registered the top 5 fastest deliveries of the season as 153.3 kmph, 153.1 kmph, 152.4 kmph, 152.3 kmph and 151.8 kmph! Umran has conjured praises from every nook and corner of the country after his emergence over the last few months. 

With the necessary care and nourishment, we might also see Umran evolving as a regular pacer for the national side. Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri said, "He is consistent, and I like his attitude. This kid can only learn. This guy has got genuine pace; if he hits the right areas, he will trouble a lot of batters." He further added, "It's about handling him properly. You have got to give him the right messages. The way you communicate with him will be very important."

Being around great bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar will help the raw talent discover and develop himself. Many believe that the youngster, with his incredible pace, has the potential to don the Indian colour in the future.

IPL 2022: SRH Star Umran Malik Creates History In Match vs PBKS 

The pace battery of Sunrisers Hyderabad Umran Malik is seen wreaking havoc in the match in IPL 2022. He bowled effectively in front of Punjab Kings' powerful batting order today, April 17, in the 28th match of the current season. He delivered one of the most incredible performances of his IPL career thus far. In addition, Umran Malik has created a unique record in his name. He is the only player in the IPL who has done so.

First-ever 20th over maiden in the first inning:

Umran Malik has been in command with his blazing balls ahead of the clash of Sunrisers Hyderabad with Punjab Kings. The Kashmiri bowler bowled a 20th over maiden against PBKS, including three wickets and a run-out wicket. The record seems unbelievable and shows how great a bowler he has become. Umran Malik not only bowled a maiden final over of the first inning but also took three crucial wickets for the team. The over commenced with a dot ball. He trapped Odean Smith with a slower one at the back of a good length to catch it himself. The third ball, too, went for a dot. The fourth and fifth ball of the over witnessed Rahul Chahar and Vaibhav Arora bowled out. He beautifully used his pace to clatter the stumps. And the ball brought a run-out wicket of Arshdeep Singh to fold Punjab Kings for 151.

"To watch him bowl at 150 clicks an hour consistently is super exciting, not just for me but for everyone watching the game at home or in the stadium. It's not great to face, but it's super exciting," said SRH bowling coach Dale Steyn

Earlier in the IPL, Irfan Pathan and Jaydev Unadkat had bowled the 20th over maiden, but they accomplished this feat in the second innings of the match. On the other hand, the young fellow, Umran Malik, has delivered the first innings' maiden and four wickets for just 28 runs. The youngster was declared Player of the Match for his impeccable spell against Kings.