Dale Steyn Praises Rajasthan Royals Openers, Makes BIG Statement On Jasprit Bumrah

New Delhi: Formulating the right bowling strategy against Rajasthan Royals' openers—Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi—is an incredibly difficult task. Even for the world's best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, it proves to be a formidable challenge. Dale Steyn believes that Rajasthan's openers have instilled a sense of fear in the bowlers. Steyn remarked that while bowling to Vaibhav, even Bumrah must have been thinking, "Don't make a mistake," because if a mistake were to occur, the batsman would hit it for a six. In the match between Rajasthan and Mumbai, Vaibhav smashed two sixes in Bumrah's very first over.

Batting first, RR scored 22 runs off Deepak Chahar's opening over, and within five overs, their team had reached 80/1. Jayawardene rightly observed that MI staged a comeback; only 52 runs were scored between the sixth and tenth overs, followed by 18 runs in the final over. However, the damage inflicted during the initial phase proved too costly for MI. While Jaiswal was the star of RR's batting lineup—scoring an unbeaten 77 off 32 balls—Suryavanshi's innings was equally impactful. He scored 39 runs off just 14 deliveries. Dale Steyn suggested that bowlers—even elite players like Bumrah—can come under a certain amount of mental pressure when bowling against Suryavanshi.

Was Bumrah Forced to Rethink?

Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo's 'Time Out' show, Steyn said, "To be honest, they have instilled a bit of fear in the bowlers—the fear that they are going to go after you for boundaries. This was particularly evident with the first ball Bumrah bowled to Suryavanshi, which sailed over mid-on. That delivery from Bumrah was right in the slot. It is a rare feat to do something like that against Bumrah. Even the great Bumrah must have been thinking to himself, 'Don't make a mistake; because if I do, this player is going to hit me for a six.'"

Suryavanshi is currently doing exactly that. In fact, you don't even need to commit a massive error; he is capable of punishing you for even the slightest of mistakes. Speaking on the bowlers' mindset, Steyn remarked, "You could see it—when Vaibhav hit that six, he (Bumrah) gave a slight smile, as if to say, 'I knew that if I made a mistake, this is exactly what would happen.' And that is precisely what transpired. This young man is fearless. If you serve up a half-volley, he will hit you right out of the park. Therefore, you have to pull your length back and bowl a good length; only then might you stand a chance of keeping him in check. But if you miss your mark, that ball is going to fly. It makes no difference who you are—whether it's Bumrah or just an ordinary bowler. That is simply magnificent batting."

What did Mahela Jayawardene say?

After suffering their second consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene, speaking after the loss to RR, stated, "Yes, I do feel we had certain plans in place, but to be honest, we weren't able to execute them in the manner we had intended."

During the post-match press conference, Jayawardene added, "We were well aware of the potential threat, especially once the match was reduced to 11 overs per side due to rain, which effectively gave us the license to play with complete freedom right from the start. It was imperative for us to ensure that those initial four or five overs proved decisive for us. I felt we staged a commendable comeback after their initial surge. However—yes—we did falter with our line and length, and they played exceptionally well."