IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians Coach's Blunt Verdict, Explains Why Bumrah, Surya, Tilak Are Struggling

Mumbai Indians, a team that possesses some of the finest players in the world, superstars coming into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign, yet are among the bottom sides in the points table. Mumbai's latest defeat in the campaign came against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday, triggering a debate on social media, with fans wondering why the franchise isn't able to get the best out of their top players like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, etc. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene addressed these concerns in the press conference after the match.

While Bumrah only has three wickets to his name in nine matches this campaign for MI, Suryakumar has scored at an average of 20, and Tilak aggregates roughly 24 runs a game. Despite having the trio at their disposal, Mumbai have had a forgettable campaign so far, which has them all but out of the playoff hopes already.

Jayawardene, however, is refusing to pin blame on the team's top players, saying it is only a matter of time before someone like Suryakumar returns to top form with a couple of confidence-boosting knocks.

"I don't think his output is down; if he gets a few scores together I think he'll find that rhythm. He played really well today for that period, really took on the bowlers in that phase. I think another couple of overs he could have been off for a really good score. Sometimes when things are not going your way it doesn't fall in place; I think it was a pretty good shot went straight to the fielder. He's definitely up for it, I think he's in a good space, it just that hasn't worked like the amount of times he's got caught on the boundary this season with some of those shots. It's just a matter of time but I think he himself is disappointed but just have to keep on working harder," he said.

On Tilak Varma, Jayawardene said that the batter is still learning how to go about approaching his game in the T20 format. There do remain concerns over the way he handles different situations, but the Sri Lankan legend feels that will only happen with experience.

"Tilak Varma is also still learning and playing different roles that he's been asked to play. T20 cricket is not that easy, I think the more he plays different situations he'll understand what he needs to do... handling situations, being bit more proactive in thinking what we need to do in those situations is something he'll find," asserted Jayawardene.

Bowling has been one of MI's biggest problems this season, and Bumrah's wicket-less outings haven't helped. But, for Jayawardene, the team's lack of wickets as a unit is the core of the problem, not Bumrah.

"It's not just Booms; it's a collective effort from all the bowlers. When everyone's working together and you're picking up wickets here and there, that helps Bumrah to be bit more aggressive as well rather than doing a holding job. Everyone tends to have a slow season, but class is always permanent," he stressed.

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Topics mentioned in this article

Mumbai Indians Mahela Jayawardene Tilak Varma Suryakumar Yadav Jasprit Bumrah IPL 2026 Cricket