Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Jasprit Bumrah is going through a lean phase with the ball. In IPL 2026, the star pacer has gone five matches without a wicket – an unusual return for someone known to dismantle batting line-ups with his pace and precision. In the match against Punjab Kings on Thursday, Bumrah conceded 41 runs in his four overs and remained wicketless. Despite the struggles, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene backed his premier bowler.“Bumrah is bowling well, it is just where we are not putting pressure in the powerplay,” Jayawardene told reporters after the match.“They (opposition) know they don’t need to take too much risk against Bumrah. We tried a few different things which he is trying as well but they are batting well. I can’t put a finger (on something) and say that he hasn’t taken a wicket.”The former Sri Lanka captain also revealed that Bumrah had a minor niggle at the start of IPL 2026 but has recovered well since.“I think initially because he had a slight niggle which came from the World Cup,” he said while addressing Bumrah’s fluctuating pace.
“We wanted to build him up (and) over the last few games his speeds have gone up. We’ve looked at all that so he’s very comfortable. Sometimes, you need a bit of luck as well.“(Bumrah) bowled some really good balls initially to Shreyas (Iyer) but wasn’t lucky enough. Once he starts taking wickets he might not be able to stop him doing that,” Jayawardene added.However, the coach admitted that Mumbai Indians’ bowling unit has lacked bite this season.After posting 195/6 in 20 overs, Mumbai Indians were unable to defend the total as Punjab Kings chased down 196 with 21 balls and seven wickets to spare.“But as a (bowling) unit, like I said before, we’ve lacked that penetration in different surfaces and that’s something that we need to work (on) and see what we need to do,” he said.Mumbai Indians are currently placed ninth on the points table with one win and four defeats.The five-time champions will next face Gujarat Titans on April 20.
