Jasprit Bumrah's rare offseason has been one of the major challenges faced by the Mumbai Indians this season, as they became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament. What was expected to be a strong performance from the ace bowler turned into a disappointing season, leaving him with numbers he would rather forget. Here’s a breakdown of what went wrong with Bumrah this season.
How Fitness Issues Derailed His Rhythm
Throughout his career, Jasprit Bumrah has been plagued by injuries related to his back and hamstrings, largely due to his unorthodox bowling action and short run-up. During the pre-season camp, Bumrah reportedly visited the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore to assess his fitness. At that time, he was deemed fully fit and ready to participate in all the games.
However, his season did not start well; he remained wicketless for the first five matches and bowled more no-balls, which is unusual for him. Although Bumrah's bowling appeared fine in real-time, he was struggling with a minor injury. This was later confirmed by head coach Mahela Jayawardene, who explained that Bumrah had to adjust his run-up due to this issue, resulting in the increased number of no-balls.
“Coming back from the World Cup, he had a slight niggle, which he managed throughout the tournament. We gave him adequate rest upon his return. The first four or five games were a gradual build-up for him to recover fully. You could see that his pace was slightly down because of that,” Jayawardene said in a pre-match press conference.
The Batter's Counter-Attack
Despite having a poor bowling average over 100, Bumrah was not as expensive as one might expect during this rough season, conceding an average of over 8.4 runs per over. Batters who had previously struggled against him have adapted, taking calculated risks or playing his overs cautiously without taking significant risks. Unfortunately, Bumrah, known as a feared death bowler, did not pick up any wickets during the death overs; all four of his wickets came during the Powerplay and middle overs.
Amidst this, Bumrah was also taken to cleaners by the young, aggressive batters whose mindset is to maximise the injured lions' overs for advantage. Mumbai Indians fans will be most bothered after his fantastic T20 World Cup campaign. Bumrah was unable to replicate the same in the IPL as their leader failed miserably to follow up on his success.
Jasprit Bumrah’s Forgettable IPL 2026 in Numbers
- Matches: 13
- Wickets: 4
- Economy: 8.37
- Bowling Average: 102.0
- Best Figures: 1/15
For more Updates on IPL 2026
Indian Premier League 2026 Tournament Page
Indian Premier League 2026 Points Table
Indian Premier League 2026 Stats
