Jasprit Bumrah 2.0 in India? Mahesh Kumar, Bangalore's net bowler explodes on social media

A net bowler from the ranks of Gujarat Titans and Bengaluru named Mahesh Kumar is currently going viral for his Jasprit Bumrah-type bowling action. 

In a viral video on X (formerly Twitter), the bowler named Mahesh Kumar can be seen effortlessly pulling off Jasprit Bumrah's unorthodox bowling action. Bumrah's uncanny action is one of the reasons why he shot to fame in his debut IPL season.

His impact and improvements have been such that Bumrah is now considered one of the world's best and India's no. 1 bowler across formats. 

Who is Mahesh Kumar, the cricket double of Jasprit Bumrah? 

Mahesh Kumar is a Bengaluru-based cricketer, who operates as a right-arm fast bowler. Born in Doddaballapur, which is 45 Kilometres from Bangalore, Mahesh has served as a net bowler for 2 IPL outfits as well as for the Indian national team. Though he is an unknown entity in the Indian cricketing circuit his viral video on X is making him a highly talked about bowler. 

🎥 Mahesh Kumar - Net Bowler for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024.#IPL2024 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/X5kXtd11hk

— Indian Domestic Cricket Forum - IDCF (@IDCForum) April 29, 2024

Mahesh Kumar's first stint as a net bowler came in the year 2017 when India had lost the ICC Champions Trophy final in England against Pakistan. Mahesh has bowled against the likes of Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, the legendary MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma among others. He even had the chance to meet his idol Jasprit Bumrah during India's net sessions. 

It will be fair to say that Mahesh Kumar has gained plenty of experience as a net bowler and it's something that many aspiring cricketers only dream of. His next and first net bowling stint with an IPL team came during the 2018 season when his hometown outfit Royal Challengers Bengaluru called him over. 

Therein, he once again bowled to Virat Kohli and also had the chance to bowl to the former South African captain, the former Mr. 360, AB de Villiers. For his action, effortlessly similar to Jasprit Bumrah, Mahesh Kumar was given the nickname of 'Junior Bumrah' by the RCB players in the nets.

Mahesh Kumar's first impression led then RCB coach Ashish Nehra to gift him a pair of boots, Virat Kohli to give an autograph, and de Villiers to compliment him. He was called up by RCB in all of the franchise's next home games in 2018. Living almost 50 Km away from the Chinnaswamy, Mahesh had stated that his 4-hour journey always remained worth it. 

"My four-hour up-and-down journey from Doddaballapura is worth it." 

Engineering degree, GT call up in 2022 and come back to RCB 

Even before appearing in the nets of team India and RCB, Mahesh Kumar had completed his graduation in Engineering before realizing his love for cricket.

The 27-year-old is yet to make his debut for his state team Karnataka at the domestic level but he has hopes that one day someone will notice him and include him in their team. 

During the 2022 season, Mahesh went as a net bowler for the Gujarat Titans, and this season, he is once again back in the RCB camp. It's his mother's dream to see him break out as a professional cricketer. Let's wait and see how things go for Mahesh Kumar and if his viral video helps him get an IPL contract.