Jasprit Bumrah’s pace drop in the ongoing IPL has been traced by Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene to the knock of a niggle that the fast bowler carried from the T20 World Cup. Jayawardene said MI gave their spearhead enough recovery time, but Bumrah’s sharpness suffered, leaving him with just four wickets from 13 matches so far as the season winds down for the franchise.
Jayawardene on Bumrah’s niggle and the “gradual build-up”
Speaking to reporters ahead of MI’s last IPL match of the campaign against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, Jayawardene explained that the injury issue began during the World Cup period and continued into the early stages of the league.
- Jayawardene said Bumrah returned from the T20 World Cup with a “slight niggle” and played through it during the tournament.
- He added that MI then provided “adequate rest” so Bumrah could come back, but it still affected his execution.
- The coach said Bumrah’s early-season pace reduction was linked to a planned “gradual build-up” to overcome the problem.
- He noted that the first four to five games were about getting over the niggle, which could be “seen” in the way the pace dropped.
- Jayawardene also pointed out that whenever a player is dealing with something physical, there can be a dip in “sharpness of execution” because attention is split.
- Despite calling Bumrah’s condition “100 per cent” from a health standpoint, Jayawardene described it as unfortunate that MI’s season is now over.
MI’s workload management and return plans
Jayawardene further discussed how MI handled their India stars’ availability and Bumrah’s bowling workload during the season. He also highlighted that Bumrah was not only managed through rest, but through tactical usage patterns and preparation details.
- MI allowed Bumrah, captain Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma to join the pre-season camp only five days before the IPL began on March 28.
- Jayawardene said the coaching and training staff held “good conversations” about where to push Bumrah and how much he could bowl in nets as part of workload management.
- He explained that MI initially tried to manage the pressure by using Bumrah tactically in situations where he would not face the same level of stress.
- Jayawardene added that as the leading bowler, Bumrah still ended up under pressure—especially when bowling at the death.
- He said MI used Bumrah in “different ways” later in the season to give him more freedom, and Bumrah understood the approach.
Bumrah’s IPL output, World Cup context, and how opponents approached him
The coach assessed Bumrah’s broader match involvement and the way opposing teams tried to limit damage. He also referenced Bumrah’s role in India’s campaign around the T20 World Cup and his recent form in the closing stretch of the IPL.
- Jayawardene said Bumrah finished with four wickets from 13 IPL games for MI.
- He said Bumrah struggled in the earlier phase of the season, but that the last four to five matches had been “good.”
- Bumrah played in four of India’s five matches in a bilateral series against New Zealand prior to the T20 World Cup.
- In the T20 World Cup, Bumrah featured in eight of India’s nine matches.
- Jayawardene noted that Bumrah was the joint leading wicket-taker with Varun Chakravarthy, with 14 wickets in the tournament.
- He also recalled Bumrah’s 4/15 in the final against New Zealand.
- Jayawardene said opponents did not take excessive risks against Bumrah at certain moments.
- He argued that teams played him cautiously because MI/India-style pressure wasn’t created around him, with other bowlers unable to generate the required pressure.
Recent form, no-ball work, and Jayawardene’s message on Bumrah’s effort
While acknowledging the problems that surfaced during the season, Jayawardene said Bumrah was back to his best in the final run of matches and that there were no major health concerns now. He also discussed Bumrah’s work ethic off the field, including efforts on no-ball issues.
- Jayawardene said Bumrah is in good spirits and is expected to return strongly.
- He credited Bumrah’s commitment during the six to eight weeks he spent getting back to where he should be.
- In the last few games, Jayawardene said Bumrah was “top notch,” with his pace near the 140 kmph mark and his ability to land yorkers effectively.
- He added that Bumrah faced some run-up issues, which he linked to the niggle he had at the time.
- Jayawardene said Bumrah also worked on his no-ball problems during the season.
- He remarked that Bumrah had bowled “quite a few” no-balls, tying it to his build-up and saying he returned to work on it, especially during long breaks.
- Jayawardene insisted he could not fault Bumrah’s work ethic and what he put in off the field, but said the improvement did not always translate on match days.
- He concluded that MI tried to fix the issues through conversations and planning, but the results were not immediate, and that the team now needs to move on.
