Mumbai Indians Break Silence On Jasprit Bumrah's Wicket-Less Show, Make Big Confession
Jasprit Bumrah has gone wicketless in the first 5 matches of the IPL 2026 season.
- Jasprit Bumrah has not taken any wickets in IPL 2026 for Mumbai Indians so far
- Coach Mahela Jayawardene denies Bumrah is bowling poorly despite no wickets taken
- According to him, the lack of powerplay pressure from other bowlers has hurt Bumrah's wicket-taking ability
Jasprit Bumrah, widely regarded as the finest pace bowler across all formats in the world, has strangely not picked up a single wicket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign for the Mumbai Indians so far. Bumrah's wicketless run has also seen the franchise lose four matches on the trot, after winning their opening clash of the season. When Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene was asked about Bumrah's struggles, he outrightly refused to admit that the marquee pacer is going through a bad run. In fact, he stressed the team's inability to create pressure in the powerplay with other bowlers as the reason behind Bumrah's lack of wickets.
Mumbai Indians have struggled to take wickets in the powerplay this season, despite possessing Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult -- two proven performers in the first six overs. Jayawardene feels the lack of early breakthroughs has hurt MI's campaign, as it allows opposing batters to play safely against Bumrah.
"Yeah, I mean, I think Booms (Bumrah) is bowling well; it's just that we're not putting pressure in the powerplay. They know they don't need to take too much risk against Booms, and while we've tried a few different things, which he is trying as well, the opposition is batting well. I can't quite put a finger on it and say he hasn't taken wickets for a specific reason, but as a unit, we've lacked that penetration on different surfaces. That is something we need to work on," the former Sri Lanka captain told reporters on Thursday.
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Jayawardene further backed Bumrah to overcome this rough patch, suggesting that once he starts picking up wickets, he might not stop for the rest of the campaign. The MI coach also emphasised that the franchise has other bowlers who need to step up and share the responsibility as a group.
"I think once he starts taking wickets, we might not be able to stop him, so we just need to back that. He's not the only bowler in our attack; we've got other quality bowlers, and we just need to come together as a group. We've had quite a few unfortunate injuries and illnesses within the camp, so we haven't been able to get everyone on the park. Hopefully, we can get those guys out there consistently now," he stressed.
Mumbai Indians
Jasprit Bumrah
Mahela Jayawardene