Sunil Gavaskar loses cool, lashes out at Jasprit Bumrah for ‘unacceptable’ act: ‘You are a professional cricketer’

Sunil Gavaskar slammed Jasprit Bumrah after the pacer bowled a no-ball in the IPL 2026 match against the Lucknow Super Giants.

Updated on: May 5, 2026, 06:06:32 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Nothing is going right for Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The speedster who could do no wrong a couple of months back is looking a pale shadow of his old self for the Mumbai Indians in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament, and the wickets are hard to come by for the ace speedster. Apart from the lack of wickets, another thing is bogging down Bumrah, and that's the number of no-balls he has dished out in the IPL 2026 season.

Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against the Lucknow Super Giants. (PTI)

The 32-year-old has bowled a total of eight no-balls in the IPL 2026 edition, and three of these came on Monday night against the Lucknow Super Giants. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was a part of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, was not pleased when Bumrah dished out two no-balls in the 14th over of Lucknow's innings, and he made his feelings known to the world.

Gavaskar tore into the pacer, saying that bowling no-balls in T20 cricket is unacceptable and there should be better professionalism on show. It is also worth noting that Bumrah had dismissed Himmat Singh on the third delivery of the 14th over, but the ball turned out to be a no-ball, and the batter eventually went on to score 40 runs to take Lucknow's total past the 220-run mark.

Also Read: Why didn't Hardik Pandya play for Mumbai Indians in Rohit Sharma’s comeback match against Lucknow Super Giants

“Do not tell me again. Do not tell me. Do not tell me that Bumrah has bowled a no-ball. That is not acceptable. That is not acceptable. You are a professional cricketer; it is not acceptable. Wides, yes, I understand, but no balls, no,” said Gavaskar on air.

When Bumrah bowled consecutive no-balls in the 14th over, the cameras panned to Mumbai head coach Mahela Jayawardene and bowling coach Lasith Malinga, both of whom painted a sorry picture, seemingly at a loss for words.

When the cameras panned to Malinga, Gavaskar said, “Yes, bowling coach. This is a big one.”

No wicket for Bumrah

In the match against Lucknow Super Giants, Bumrah went wicketless, conceding 45 runs in his quota of four overs. In the IPL 2026 season, the pacer has taken just 3 wickets in 10 matches. This is one of the worst seasons ever for the pacer in the IPL.

“Kind of summarises the season as well,” said Deep Dasgupta when Bumrah bowled back-to-back no-balls.

Speaking of the match between Mumbai and Lucknow, the former won the toss and opted to bowl first. Lucknow then posted 228/5 in 20 overs, owing to quality knocks by Nicholas Pooran (63), Mitchell Marsh (44), Himmat Singh (40) and Aiden Markram (31*).

Mumbai Indians then chased the total down with six wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare as Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton played knocks of 84 and 83 respectively.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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