Paras Mhambrey: Bowlers Must Copy Bumrah's Work Ethic to Succeed

During the pre-match press conference ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Paras reflected on Bumrah and his evolution from a teenager to becoming a global icon.

"One value that every individual and bowler should pick up from Boom (Bumrah) is clearly his work ethic. The way he goes about it in the nets, tick marking everything that he has worked on and will be using during the game. But, in the last few years with the Indian team...he has grown into a phenomenal bowler and even more so as an individual, which has been amazing," the MI bowling coach said.

Further, sharing his insights on MI's bowling approach during their first two games and as a coach, how he helps strategise different scenarios.

Paras said, "As a bowling group...we always discuss how to get wickets in the middle, execute our plans, maintain the pressure on oppositions and how to exploit individual strengths and weaknesses."

"Both surfaces have been different, and just to give you all an idea, when we play in Mumbai, we have red soil pitches. Red soil characteristics are different. You have bounce due to the grass on it, and shots can be played easily. Square cuts and pull shots can be played very well on those surfaces. When we go and play on black soil surfaces in Delhi, one does not get that bounce and must access different areas."

Also speaking about the youngsters in the side like Ashwani Kumar and Mohammad Izhar... and the fresh bowling strategies that MI come up with every season, he opined, "Firstly credit should go to the scouts who go around and watch games and see these young guns' skill sets. For me, I put myself in their shoes and ask myself what I was thinking when I was at this stage in my career. When I was new to the game, finding my foothold here...how do I handle pressure and failures during certain stages. That gives me a better perspective on what could be a conversation starter with them. Also, spending a lot of time with individuals helps understand what kind of character he is and what kind of conversations he is seeking."

Mhambrey was asked if there were different roles for both bowling coaches, Malinga and him.

"There is no line of difference. Both of us know what our final objective is. It is like having two sides to a coin. We have trust, understanding and respect amongst ourselves. There is no competition; both of us are working towards the end goal for our team," he said.

- ANI