Jasprit Bumrah is seen struggling in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which is something fans don’t usually see from him. In eight matches for Mumbai Indians, he has taken only two wickets and has a very high average of 132, though his economy rate of 8.80 is still fairly decent. This has become a concern for the team, especially since Mumbai Indians are also struggling this season and are currently placed ninth on the points table.

Bumrah had another difficult outing on Wednesday, where he went wicketless and gave away 54 runs in his four overs. It happened during Sunrisers Hyderabad’s successful chase of 244, and it turned out to be one of the most expensive spells of his career.

Even with these numbers, Mumbai Indians’ batting coach Kieron Pollard feels people should not judge Bumrah too harshly based on a short, rough patch.

“When a cricketer is not doing well, we look at every single aspect as to why he’s not doing well and there is no difference to Jasprit Bumrah," Pollard told reporters when asked about several factors around Bumrah’s bowling in this IPL including lack of pace. “He has done this for years. As a human being, you’re entitled as well to make mistakes, not have a good day, not have a good season, not have a good couple months. I just feel that we need to sometimes remember the good things that he has done."

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Pollard admitted that Bumrah hasn’t performed at his usual high level this season, but he also pointed out that the fast bowler’s overall record still speaks for itself.

“Yes, we try to live in the present and he hasn’t been up to mark, but he has still been a No. 1 bowler for Mumbai Indians and India over a period of time. I just feel that sometimes we can cut some slack to us cricketers sometimes because, we are unfortunate to always be in the public eye so when we do bad, it’s always been highlighted."

He also backed Bumrah to return to form soon and believes this dip won’t last long.

“I know he’s going to bounce back with greater heights and take wickets and we all, again, (are) going to be singing Bumrah-Bumrah not only for Mumbai Indians, but (also) for India."

As for Mumbai Indians, the team has shown moments of promise but hasn’t been able to put together a complete performance consistently.

Pollard admitted that the team hasn’t clicked as a unit yet, but he made it clear that they are still in the race.

“We haven’t been able to string a complete game of cricket together as a team. It has not been as consistent as we would have hoped," he said. “We have accepted that (but) we have not accepted defeat. When I said defeat, I didn’t want the headlines to be that Mumbai Indians now are defeated because mathematically and from a points’ perspective, we are still much in the tournament."

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Talking about the high-scoring matches this season, Pollard said there is no point blaming the pitches and stressed that it comes down to how well a team performs.

“There’s no point in harping on the type of wickets and all of that. Two teams are going to play on the surface, and it all boils down to who plays the better cricket," he said. “But what I can safely say, in the dressing room and (with) the spirits of the guys, they are willing and wanting to fight. These things happen. You could have been worst off. But at the end of it, we’re still playing a game of cricket and there are a lot of other things more serious in life as well. So it is what it is."


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