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Cricket PlayersJasprit Bumrah not the real concern for MI: Why Hardik Pandya is right in throwing bowlers under the bus
With a clash against Punjab Kings coming up, a quick fix to their bowling issues is imperative, else MI's season could slip away far earlier than expected
It is not often that Jasprit Bumrah has a ‘0’ in the wickets column next to his name, but that has been the unusual case for the Mumbai Indians spearhead this season. Four matches into IPL 2026, Bumrah is yet to open his account. Mumbai have lost three of those games. Yet, the two are not directly correlated.
While the anomaly has drawn attention, captain Hardik Pandya pointed to a larger issue plaguing Mumbai, who have lost three on the trot since beating the Kolkata Knight Riders in their opener. That included a 18-run defeat to defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede on Sunday.
“...I think we conceded way too many (runs). In the last couple of games, as a bowling unit, we’ve been catching up rather than leading the game,” he said.
Bumrah isn’t MI’s real concern
Not just four, but across five straight IPL games—spanning 122 deliveries—Bumrah has gone wicketless. This season, his figures read 0/123, with an economy of 8.2. Among 45 bowlers who have delivered at least eight-plus overs, he is the only one without a wicket. Yet, only Mohammed Shami (6.25), Rashid Khan (6.87), Sunil Narine (7.45), Axar Patel (7.85) and Lungi Ngidi (8.04) have better economy rates (minimum eight overs).
On Sunday, as RCB piled up 240/4 at 12 runs per over on a batting-friendly Wankhede surface, Bumrah stood out with an economy of 8.75—the only MI bowler under nine.
"You'd take those figures every day of the week, in this total," former South Africa quick Dale Steyn said of Bumrah's spell of 0-35 against RCB. "He has put on a show tonight with all his skills, his yorker in particular has been fantastic. Yes, he has missed his length on occasion, but you don't see that often from him."
Why Hardik is right to call out MI’s bowlers
Bumrah’s wicketless run has naturally attracted scrutiny given his pedigree, but that is not where Mumbai’s bowling problem lies.
He has been economical but lacks support at the other end. Trent Boult has conceded 110 runs for just one wicket in three games (economy 12.22), while Deepak Chahar has been inconsistent. Shardul Thakur, despite being MI’s leading wicket-taker with five scalps, has gone at over 13 runs per over.
That explains why Mumbai sit bottom of the bowling charts this season, with just 15 wickets in four matches, and are the only side conceding over 11 runs per over. The deeper metrics paint a bleaker picture—an average of 51.6, strike rate of 27.67, and a boundary conceded every 3.7 balls, all among the worst in IPL 2026.
“It would be unfair to blame Bumrah for the lack of wickets. It's a team game, and in T20 cricket, wickets come through sustained pressure. If you look at Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, they picked up wickets because there was pressure from Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the other end,” said Ravichandran Ashwin. “Bumrah hasn’t had that kind of support.”
A closer look shows the middle overs (7–16) as a major concern. Across 35 overs in this phase, Mumbai have conceded 11.14 runs per over—the worst among all teams—at an average of 55.71. They have picked up just seven wickets in this period, with only Rajasthan Royals faring worse.
“We really need to reflect, really need to see what best we can do and how we can get that momentum and that click which we require,” Hardik added.
Mumbai now face a crucial phase. With a clash against Punjab Kings coming up, a quick fix to their bowling issues is imperative—else the season could slip away far earlier than expected for the five-time champions.
