If you’ve been on cricket Twitter recently, you’ve seen the clip — a bowler running in with a slow walk, a couple of low hops, and that unmistakable sling-arm release. You’d swear it was Jasprit Bumrah. It isn’t. But the resemblance is so uncanny that Bumrah himself once watched from the adjacent nets, chuckling before giving the young man a thumbs up.
With RCB facing Bumrah and Mumbai Indians on April 12, this Karnataka-based net bowler is back in the spotlight.
Who Is Mahesh Kumar The Jasprit Bumrah Clone?
His name is Mahesh Kumar. He hails from Doddaballapura, a small town on the outskirts of Bengaluru, and makes a four-hour round trip every time he’s called to bowl. An engineering graduate who completed his degree to fulfil his father’s dream, Kumar always knew his true calling was cricket. He was on the fringes of the Karnataka Under-19 squad but never broke through to the senior level.
What he did have was an action that turned heads — a bowling style he says he’s had since he was eight, long before Bumrah became a global sensation.
“I have not copied Jasprit Bumrah. I have the same bowling action since I was eight,” Kumar has said in an ESPNCricinfo interview. “After watching Bumrah in international cricket, now I am trying to follow him on increasing my pace.”
How A Fringe Bowler Became An RCB Nets Essential
Kumar’s first big break came in 2017, when he bowled at Team India’s nets ahead of a T20I against England in Bengaluru. The coaches were impressed enough to make him a regular. Then came IPL 2019 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Bowling coach Ashish Nehra invited Kumar specifically to replicate Bumrah’s action ahead of a crucial MI clash — give Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers a taste of those yorkers before they faced the real thing.
It worked so well that he earned a new pair of shoes from Nehra and a nickname that stuck — “Junior Bumrah.”
Since then, Kumar has been a regular at RCB’s nets every season. His services haven’t been limited to one franchise either — he’s bowled for Gujarat Titans in 2022, impressed Jacques Kallis at Kolkata Knight Riders, and even turned down an invitation from an Australian coaching staff member to play in Melbourne because he wanted to build his career in India.
WATCH JASPRIT BUMRAH CLONE MAHESH KUMAR BOWL IN RCB NETS
What makes Mahesh more than a novelty act is the quality of his bowling. It’s not just the action — the low hops, the high-arm release at awkward angles — but his accuracy. He targets the leg stump with precision that genuinely troubles top-order batsmen in practice.
Virat Kohli himself took notice. He told the youngster to stick to his strengths and not copy anyone — advice that acknowledged his action wasn’t an imitation at all, but something authentically his own. With the likes of head coach Andy Flower and mentor Dinesh Karthik also there, Mahesh isn’t short of expert advice.
Why Mahesh Kumar Matters More Than Ever in IPL 2026
RCB enter IPL 2026 as defending champions after lifting their maiden title in 2025. But the road to retaining that crown runs through Mumbai Indians, and through Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah, with over 160 IPL wickets at a career economy under 7.50, was the most impactful bowler in IPL 2025 — recording the best economy rate among all qualified bowlers. His yorkers, slower balls, and bouncers, delivered from that impossible-to-read action, make him T20 cricket’s toughest proposition.
That’s why RCB’s secret weapon matters. When Rajat Patidar’s squad walks into the Wankhede on April 12, their batsmen will have spent hours facing a bowler who delivers from the same angles, with the same wrist positions as Bumrah. It won’t replicate the real thing — nothing can mimic Bumrah’s ability to make the ball skid and lift — but it’s the closest any team can get.
The Dream That Keeps Growing
Kumar hasn’t landed an IPL contract. He hasn’t played a professional match for any franchise. But year after year, he shows up, bowls his heart out, and goes home with signed boots, autographed jerseys, and the quiet knowledge that he’s part of a champion team’s preparation.
Every IPL fairytale doesn’t end with a big pay cheque. Sometimes, it’s about a small-town bowler making a four-hour journey worth every minute.
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