In cricket, a batting average of 100 is the gold standard. But the 2026 IPL season threw up an unusual and unwanted measuring stick for Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah—one that belongs to bowlers, not hitters. Instead of leading the charts, Bumrah finished with a bowling average above 100, and in the process became the first bowler in T20 cricket to concede more than 100 runs for every wicket taken across a tournament.
Quick facts
- Player: Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians)
- Competition: IPL 2026
- Matches played: 13
- Runs conceded: 294
- Economy rate: 8.37
- Wickets taken: 4
- Bowling average: 102.50
- Strike rate: 73.50
- Notable record: first T20 bowler to average over 100 runs per wicket in a tournament
Across the 13 games Bumrah featured for Mumbai, he gave away 294 runs at an economy of 8.37. The numbers were costly, yet not even the most extreme in a season where 200-plus totals were often chased or posted. His bigger problem was wicket-taking: he managed only four scalps across the stretch, and he never took more than one wicket in any single match.
With wickets so scarce, his bowling average ballooned to 102.50, while his strike rate settled at 73.50. Expensive spells without breakthroughs are not unusual in T20 cricket, where batters can punish any loose length. However, holding onto an average above 100 for a full tournament is something the format has rarely, if ever, produced.
There is also a qualification angle to the record. Bumrah’s average and the accompanying mark are based on a 40-over minimum requirement. Reaching 240 legal deliveries in a tournament means a bowler is treated as a core option—an expected frontline specialist—and Bumrah fits that description for Mumbai.
Given his reputation as one of the most threatening pacers in world cricket, it still stands out how hard wickets proved to be this season. Despite completing his full quota of overs for MI, Bumrah struggled to turn control into dismissals, and that mismatch between containing runs and delivering wickets is what defined his campaign.
What drove the historically poor numbers?
When a bowler is viewed as exceptionally dangerous, opponents often adjust their approach collectively. Rather than taking on Bumrah’s pace variations and yorkers with attacking intent, batters can choose to play it safe—defending more, rotating the strike, and targeting only the easiest runs. If the plan is to avoid risk, wickets tend to be hard to find.
Another factor is the environment created by the rest of the bowling group. If other bowlers are leaking runs, the batting side can afford to keep things conservative against the star pacer, knowing that they can still build the innings through the overall scoreboard. In such conditions, Bumrah can become a containment option—tight enough on runs, but not forcing enough wickets to break the rhythm of the match.
The math becomes brutal when wicketless spells stack up. A bowler who goes without wickets across multiple four-over bursts while conceding something in the 25-to-30 range adds up those runs over the course of a tournament. With the wickets column staying still, the bowling average rises sharply, because it is calculated from total runs divided by wickets.
Even with the record sitting firmly on his name, the story is not entirely a one-man problem. Bumrah did manage to limit the damage in many of Mumbai’s matches, suggesting his ability to control the flow largely remained there. The season’s headline, then, is the gap between that control and the missing breakthrough moments that would have kept his average in normal territory.
