Jasprit Bumrah has found himself in an unfamiliar spot this season, a rarity for a bowler of his stature. Widely regarded as one of the finest across formats in this generation, the champion pacer has struggled to hit his usual heights in the IPL after the high of his T20 World Cup success. In eight matches so far, he has managed just two wickets, and the relentless pressure he is known to create has been missing. Batters who once approached him with caution now seem far more willing to take him on, a shift that underlines his dip in form. His economy rate of 8.80 may not look alarming in isolation, but it falls short of the standards he has consistently set over the years. For Bumrah, it has been a rare phase where little seems to be falling into place.
He endured another tough wicketless night against SRH on Wednesday, conceding 54 runs in his four overs - the most by any bowler in the match - once again drawing scrutiny over his form.
With Bumrah going through a lean patch, Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard backed the pacer, calling for a balanced view and pointing to his consistent performances over the years.
“When a cricketer is not doing well, we look at every single aspect as to why he's not doing well. And there's no difference to Jasprit Bumrah, all right? He has done this for years. And as a human being, he is entitled as well to make mistakes, not have a good day, not have a good season, not have a good couple of months. And I just feel that we need to sometimes sort of remember, you know, the good things that he has done. Yes, we try to live in the present, and he hasn't been up to mark, but he's still been a number one bowler, you know, for Mumbai Indians and India over a period of time," Pollard said in the press conference after the loss to SRH.
Pollard also pointed to the constant scrutiny cricketers face, stressing how failures are magnified in the public eye compared to everyday professions, where mistakes often go unnoticed or can be quietly corrected.
"I just feel that sometimes we can cut some slack to cricketers, because as I always say, we are unfortunate to always be in the public eye. So, when we do bad, it's always been highlighted, but when normal people have jobs and they send a wrong email, they have opportunity to edit the words and all these things. We don't have the opportunity. So, it's fair and fine when you're not doing well, you accept, certain things," he added.
“Jasprit Bumrah is going to bounce back”
He signed off on the matter with a note of confidence, urging fans and critics to cut Bumrah some slack while backing the pacer to bounce back and rediscover his best form.
"And knowing the individual, I know he's going to bounce back, you know, with greater heights and take wickets, and we know all again going to be singing Bumrah, not only for Mumbai Indians, but for India. So, again, let's cut him a little slack and let's see if that might help him as well. We see some good things written about him," he said.