Former South Africa speedster Dale Steyn has come out in Jasprit Bumrah’s defence after a difficult IPL 2026. Steyn argued that the Indian pacer’s disappointing league campaign should not be used to judge his overall class, pointing instead to the impact he made for India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, where he played a key part in lifting the trophy.
Speaking on the AB de Villiers YouTube channel, Steyn stressed that a rough tournament is not unusual even for the best performers. He suggested that top batters also struggled across the competition, and used that to underline his view that Bumrah’s downturn simply shows he is human rather than a bowler whose level has suddenly dropped.
Steyn also expressed confidence that Bumrah will bounce back in the next season. He went further to say that the fast bowler could even contend for, and possibly win, the Purple Cap in IPL 2027. Steyn’s message was clear: a lean IPL run should be treated as a temporary phase, not a verdict on Bumrah’s quality.
Bumrah’s IPL 2026 stint indeed proved to be among the most challenging phases of his T20 career. The Mumbai Indians pacer was rested for the franchise’s final league match against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, and he wrapped up the tournament with just four wickets from 13 matches.
Steyn addressed the criticism directly, noting that Bumrah had already delivered on the biggest stage recently. “He won a World Cup just a month and a half, two months ago, and he was probably one of the bowlers of the tournament. So you can’t focus on him primarily. He had a bad tournament (IPL). There have been good batters at this IPL that haven’t hit the ground running. Okay. So it shows that he’s human. He’ll come back strong and next season he’ll probably win the Purple Cap next season,” Steyn said.
Bumrah’s numbers reflected the struggle. He finished IPL 2026 with a bowling average of 102.50, the highest ever in T20 history for a bowler who delivered at least 40 overs in a single tournament.
The downturn stood out even more because it followed a brilliant run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where Bumrah was instrumental in steering India to the title. With that context, the extent of his IPL 2026 struggles was viewed by many as a major surprise.
Looking ahead, Bumrah is also set to miss India’s upcoming home series against Afghanistan. The plan from the team management is to ensure he returns fully fit, especially with a demanding international calendar later in the year.
