Umesh Yadav is playing for RCB in this IPL. (Source: PTI)
Umesh Yadav has been on song this IPL, taking 17 wickets at an economy rate of 7.99 (his lowest, and best, yet in IPL) at a strike rate of 17.0. Already, he has bowled the most number of overs than any other IPL year. The success can be pinned down to couple of factors: the confidence and strategy of RCB to give him more overs in a spell than before, and the way he has tweaked his technique – more upright as the back leg doesn’t collapse at pre-release position as much as before.
Before we get into the finer details, here is the background. He is not only pacy – consistently clocking 140kmph but has also developed important weapons – yorkers, bouncers, and also the change-of-pace variations like the off and leg cutters, and also, more recently, has added the back-of-hand slower delivery. However, the criticism against him was that he was inconsistent, and can leak runs in the limited-over format. He didn’t get the confidence of Kolkata Knight Riders in the past and has been in and out of the Indian team as well.
When someone as talented as Umesh doesn’t perform as per expectations, the problems can’t only be technical. Sometimes, it can also be due to the way such bowlers have been used by the team think tank to maximise their potential. It’s here that RCB this year has done really well. And perhaps hints at how Virat Kohli might use him for India.
Building on momentum
There is another statistical comparison that highlights how he has been used by the team. In 2016, he bowled 26 overs in 15 spells. In ’17, he bowled 48.3 overs in 35 spells. This year, he has bowled 49.1 overs in 28 spells. A further breakup is crucial: he has bowled six 3-over spells and one 4-over spell at the top. Only twice did he not finish the 4-overs quota, and it includes a match against Chennai Super Kings where the game got done in 18 overs.
As a contrast, when he was with KKR in the previous two years, only once in 22 games, did he bowl a 3-over spell. In 12 matches for RCB this year, he has done that six times. So far, he has proved expensive in just one game – when he went for 59 in 4 overs, and that too told a story as he was used in four different spells. Basically, an over each, and that didn’t suit Yadav. There are bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunil Narine, and now Jofra Archer who can bowl one-over spells but not every one can do it. It certainly doesn’t suit Umesh, a swing bowler who thrives on momentum to build his performances and needs a few-overs spell to be effective.
Striking in Powerplay
This IPL Umesh has shown that he likes to attack with the new ball in Powerplay. Even RCB had realised it after their first game, or at least started to use him upfront. In that first game, he was brought in the 6th over, last over of the Powerplay, and he responded by knocking out an aggressive Narine with his second delivery. From then on they have used him early in the Powerplay and given him an extended spell with the new ball. He has relished the opportunity to bowl with the motive of picking up wickets.
We have already established that this year he has normally been given at least 3 overs in Powerplay, unlike previous editions. And, now, look out for two other numbers in particular. 14 of his 17 wickets have come in Powerplay this year, and 54% of his dot balls have come in the Powerplay. The other bowlers in his team have usually leaked runs in that same phase. The result comes through in the third stat: he has a strike rate of 12.4 and good economy rate of 6.75.
It’s clear that he has struggled in the end overs. He usually bowls a over and hasn’t been able to recreate his Powerplay magic. The death-overs struggles has been a pattern in the last few years as well. That’s why it’s creditable that RCB has acknowledged that trait and has done course correction – instead of hoping that he can produce his yorkers and cutters at will in a comeback spell of an over, they have instead unleashed him with a license to attack with the new ball.
Technical changes Umesh has made
His success isn’t restricted just to the way he has been used by RCB; it also includes technical improvements he has done over the years.
Loading: As compared to the past, he does the right things in the set-up and pre-release stages. In the past, he was loading up well behind his head – the bowling arm is taken behind him, and that resulted in the back-foot collapsing. What was its impact? The delivery stride increased as a result to maintain some balance, which further collapsed the front leg. The result? He was unable to get his arm high or maintain an upright stance – factors that affected his rhythm, ability to make the ball consistently do what he wanted it to do, and the accuracy of his yorkers too suffered. Some of his “inconsistent, leaking runs” phase happened because of that.
Back foot strike: He has corrected the loading and back-foot collapse, as evidenced by the right-side image (Top right). The bowling arm is up to his ears in the load-up, it isn’t yanked back, and resultantly, the back-leg doesn’t collapse as much. This solid base sets him up for a better release position. It prevents the collapse/bending of the front foot, and as a result he is in a much better position by the time he is ready to release the ball.
Release: He is very upright in the right screen, and his bowling arm and front foot are aligned well at release position with a relatively shorter delivery stride. It helps in overall accuracy, improves his control and rhythm, and helps his bowling overall. A combination of tactical thinking of extended new-ball spell, the confidence that such a trust inspires, and the much-improved bowling technique have all worked in Yadav’s resurgence this IPL.