Mumbai Indians have been urged to rethink their approach in the IPL after another defeat exposed fresh questions about how they manage overs beyond their main strike bowler. Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis believes the franchise must reduce its heavy reliance on Jasprit Bumrah if it wants greater consistency, especially in matches where totals climb into the 250-plus range.
Du Plessis’ message: don’t only lean on Bumrah
Du Plessis pointed out that Mumbai Indians, often described as slow starters, have now lost three straight matches following a winning start to their campaign. Despite Bumrah being viewed as the key weapon in their bowling unit, the fast bowler has not yet registered a wicket across his first four games.
- Mumbai Indians have lost three matches in a row after winning their tournament opener.
- They conceded 240 runs to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday night.
- They failed to chase RCB’s total.
- Jasprit Bumrah is yet to take a wicket in four games, even though he remains a major part of MI’s bowling plans.
What Mumbai must fix in high-scoring contests
Speaking on Star Sports, du Plessis said MI need to evaluate what the rest of their attack allows after Bumrah completes his spell, particularly when games turn into high-scoring affairs.
He explained that in matches where teams post totals of 250 or more, the key is assessing how many runs are being conceded beyond Bumrah’s four-over quota—spells that are typically very economical. The former captain argued that MI must find answers to those moments and not let the effectiveness of one bowler mask issues elsewhere.
- Du Plessis said MI should examine what their bowling unit concedes beyond Bumrah’s four overs.
- He noted that Bumrah’s spells are usually tight, but the wider attack has to deliver in 250-plus games.
- He added that MI should increase Bumrah’s impact by using him at crucial stages.
Powerplay concerns: batting and bowling together
Sunil Gavaskar also felt Mumbai Indians need improvements during the Powerplay period, pointing to problems on both sides of the contest—batting output and bowling control.
Gavaskar said MI needed to add at least 12 runs more than they managed to keep up with the required scoring rate. Even when they attempted to rotate the strike, the asking rate kept rising, which he identified as an area that must be addressed. He also underlined that, as Hardik Pandya had mentioned, Mumbai’s Powerplay in both batting and bowling has not been producing the results needed to seize control of matches.
- Gavaskar believes MI must improve their Powerplay in both batting and bowling.
- He said they required at least 12 extra runs to remain on track with the target rate.
- He noted that even with strike rotation, the required rate kept increasing.
- He stressed that both their batting and bowling Powerplays have not yielded the kind of impact needed to dominate.
