Jasprit Bumrah, often hailed as the most lethal fast bowler in world cricket across formats, has yet to register a wicket in the IPL 2026 for the Mumbai Indians. The worrying stat has arrived alongside a tough stretch for the franchise: after beginning the season with a win, Mumbai have lost four consecutive matches. With questions growing around Bumrah’s wicket drought, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene was pressed for answers, but he refused to label the situation as a clear “bad run” for the star pacer. Instead, he pointed to a broader issue—Mumbai’s inability to generate enough pressure during the powerplay overs through their wider bowling group.
Jayawardene argued that MI’s early-innings problem has been central to Bumrah’s lack of wickets. He noted that Mumbai do have proven options in the first six overs, naming Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult as key resources. However, without consistent breakthroughs at the start of innings, opposing batters are able to settle in and take on Bumrah with greater comfort. In Jayawardene’s view, the franchise needs to improve its ability to strike early and create the right intensity on different surfaces.
“Yeah, I mean, I think Booms (Bumrah) is bowling well; it’s just that we’re not putting pressure in the powerplay. They know they don’t need to take too much risk against Booms, and while we’ve tried a few different things, which he is also trying as well, the opposition is batting well. I can’t quite put a finger on it and say he hasn’t taken wickets for a specific reason, but as a unit, we’ve lacked that penetration on different surfaces. That is something we need to work on,” the former Sri Lanka captain said during an interaction with reporters on Thursday.
The coach also expressed confidence that Bumrah’s wicket-taking form can return quickly, suggesting the current phase could flip in an instant once the first breakthrough arrives. Jayawardene added that Mumbai’s bowling attack cannot rely on one individual to fix everything, stressing that other bowlers must contribute and share the responsibility.
“I think once he starts taking wickets, we might not be able to stop him, so we just need to back that. He’s not the only bowler in our attack; we’ve got other quality bowlers, and we just need to come together as a group. We’ve had quite a few unfortunate injuries and illnesses within the camp, so we haven’t been able to get everyone on the park. Hopefully, we can get those guys out there consistently now,” Jayawardene said.
