IPL 2021: Umran Malik, a 21-year-old Srinagar pacer, debuted for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.
With his raw speed, the kid made an immediate impression, bowling the quickest delivery by an Indian in IPL. Only Lockie Ferguson and Anrich Nortje have bowled faster deliveries than Malik's 151.03 kmph missile.
In fact, the SRH speedster has the top three quickest deliveries among Indians. Malik's family sent him heartfelt video messages following his debut, expressing their pride in him.
Malik appeared emotional while watching the video with teammates, covering his face in his hands as his parents and siblings congratulated him on making it to the big stage.
"When you make it to one of the biggest stages in Cricket, your family can be nothing but proud," SRH captioned the video.
Jonny Bairstow, who is not playing in the second half of the IPL, congratulated the young pacer on the video.
"This is what it-s all about! huge congratulations," he commented. Former SRH captain David Warner also wrote: "So beautiful this awesome to see."
Umran Malik has progressed from an SRH net bowler to the most recent IPL live T20 star. Umran Malik has had quite a year in 2021. In January, he made his T20 debut for Jammu and Kashmir, and in February, he played his maiden List A match.
He was a net bowler for SRH until being brought into their team as a substitute for T Natarajan, who contracted COVID-19 just before the start of this IPL in September.
He was not selected for the first four matches of the second leg of the ongoing IPL season, but he was finally given a chance against KKR in the last match. Malik made an impression on debut, despite without taking a wicket, conceding only 27 runs and causing difficulty for hitters with his sheer speed.
After a poor season, SRH may be out of contention for a playoff berth, but they appear to have found another treasure for India.
SRH still has two games left this season, one against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday and the other against Mumbai Indians on Friday, and Malik is anticipated to play a role in both.