Jasprit Bumrah’s form slump has quickly turned into one of the most discussed storylines of IPL 2026. Few expected a bowler who has repeatedly delivered under pressure to look off-colour after an excellent run around the T20 World Cup, where he played a decisive role in India defending the title. Over the years, Bumrah has built a reputation for disturbing batters through speed, accuracy, and tight control—qualities that rarely disappear in T20 cricket.
This season, though, that usual sharpness has been hard to find. Bumrah has struggled to sustain his standard, leaking runs more often than his fans are used to, and he has taken only two wickets across nine matches. The decline in his output has come alongside Mumbai Indians’ wider troubles, with the franchise sitting ninth in the standings and needing results to climb back into playoff contention.
Quick facts: what’s changed for Bumrah
- IPL 2026 has seen Bumrah concede runs at a higher-than-usual rate.
- He has taken just two wickets in nine matches.
- Mumbai Indians are currently placed ninth on the points table.
- Concerns have been raised about a heavier reliance on slower deliveries.
- His average pace appears to have dropped compared to his typical baseline.
There are also questions about his tactical choices. With more overs being shaped around slower balls, the returns have not matched the threat Bumrah usually generates. For a bowler celebrated for variation and the ability to change the batter’s timing, the lack of bite has stood out. In a tournament where even small shifts in execution can be punished, his diminished effectiveness has become increasingly visible.
Former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock suggested Bumrah’s strategy might be influenced by carry-over from the T20 World Cup. Pollock’s view was that when slower deliveries work exceptionally well on certain surfaces, the habit can stick—leading to a noticeable change in how Bumrah is bowling in the IPL.
“I think it was also influenced a little bit by the back end of T20 World Cup. Because of the nature of surfaces, lots of games taken place, the slower ball became so effective. I think at the start of this tournament, it was kind of a hangover of that one was effective, let’s stick with it. He still needs to understand that his speed deliveries, his different action, his ability to shape the ball, that still needs to go to. That’ll be the stuff that strikes up front in particular. If you come on in the second spell and you bowl those slower balls, that’s fine. I’m not saying he’s gone over the top, but I think there’s been a little bit more of a reliability on that delivery,” Pollock said on Cricbuzz.
Powerplay debate: slower balls versus hard length
Building on that theme, former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull offered an even sharper critique. Doull believes Bumrah may have leaned too far into slower balls, and pointed to the possibility that a World Cup “hangover” is affecting his pace and the overall unpredictability of his bowling this season. In Doull’s opinion, batters are getting a better read on his changes, which reduces the element of surprise that typically makes Bumrah so difficult to face.
“I think he has gone over the top with the slower balls. I’d like to see him bowl the first 12 deliveries if he bowls two overs in the powerplay and not bowl his slow ball. Just, you know, his pace is down and whether that’s again a hangover of what’s happening in that setup if he’s not 100% fit, I don’t know, obviously coming off the World Cup. But I’d just like to see him hit a good hard length. If batters are good enough to hit you off that good hard length, then think about changing it, but too often too many bowlers go to something different for the sake of going to something different. His slow ball is a surprise and it’s a brilliant slow ball, but people are actually sitting there waiting for it a little bit this year,” Doull added.
