There was a time when Jaspreet BumrahThe slow ball wasn’t just a changeup, it was magic. A carefully disguised move, delivered with consistent arm speed, made even the best batsmen indecisive. He just didn’t use it. He used and played with it like a modern smartphone.This IPL, that toy is looking a bit old.The figures are extraordinary: 46 slow balls, 74 runs conceded, no wickets. For a bowler whose reputation rests on deception as much as discipline, this is a rare dip. And it mirrors a broader struggle. Along with Has taken just three wickets in 10 matches this season, with an economy of 8.89, and a bowling average of 109.67. These are figures that do no teacher justice, and Bumrah’s struggles have had a direct impact on what has been a forgettable campaign for Mumbai Indians.
Sunil GavaskarSpeaking of Star Sports, perhaps this sums it up best:“Bumrah is giving his best, but he seems to be trying too many extra things. He is creating chances to take wickets, but luck is not with him. His pace has also decreased. His ball speed has also decreased. The line that used to hit the stumps is now going towards the leg stumps.”This observation goes to the heart of the matter. A slower ball has not only lost its bite but also its accuracy.But perhaps one understands why Bumrah often goes to him. Because it has allowed him to break open games. Just hit the rewind button and jog your memory for the Australia vs Boxing Day Test at the MCG in 2018. Bumrah flicks his fingers across the seam, same action, different pace, Marsh doesn’t read it, and the ball hits his pads, and he’s in front as India seize control.Lord’s 2021: Oli Robinson, taking advantage of the time and thwarting India’s push for a memorable win on day five, is dismissed by a change of pace from round the stumps and goes lbw. The global stage offered even more vivid examples. Steve Smith In the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, he failed to find the slow pace and was left lbw. It offered a brief window where India felt momentum in a heartbreaking loss. Mohammad Rizwan was cheated twice in Ahmedabad and then in New York. Harry Brook in the T20 WC semi-final, Rachin Ravindra and Mitch Santner in the final, each example reinforces how Bumrah used the slower ball not as a stock option, but as a trigger point to collapse.His MI teammate Ryan Rickelton Could not read its variation in Ahmedabad, and Ruston Chase Kolkata also got foxed. The pattern was familiar. Bumrah’s slower bowling thrived on disguise, timing and situational awareness. It arrived when the batsmen least expected it, and left them without a reply.
MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, left, Jasprit Bumrah, right, and Surya Kumar Yadav during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 (PTI photo/Kunal Patil).
This IPL, that layer of surprise looks thin.Gavaskar points to the technical drift:“The length of his slower ball has been completed… the line that used to hit the stumps is now moving towards the leg stumps.”This small change matters. Bumrah’s slower delivery has always worked best when it threatened the stumps first, forcing the batsmen to commit. A fuller, leg-stump line offers release, allowing hitters to access angles, even with ill-timed strokes.There is also an element of greater complexity.“He’s overdoing things, and it’s hurting him… He should go back to his basics and stick to what’s best for him,” Gavaskar noted.In an effort to stay ahead of fast-evolving batsmen, Bumrah has added layers, different lengths, subtle variations in pace, but in doing so, has he diminished the clarity that once defined the delivery? The slow ball was most effective when it was simple, fast, and perfectly placed and used sparingly. Now, it sits in the occasional hittable zone. In addition, he has used it very frequently. Against RR, when he should have bowled a maximum of 18 balls, he bowled 10 off-pace balls. Even the occasional nine-ball, six or seven this season, points to a disrupted rhythm.Gavaskar added, “He is not known to bowl many new balls. Trying new things is affecting his rhythm.”For a controlled bowler, rhythm is everything.There’s also the inevitable factor: familiarity.Plus there is no longer an unknown quantity. His release, his cues, his patterns, are all constantly dissected by analysts and rival captains and coaches through years of data and exposure. Batsmen are no longer just reacting. They are expecting. In the highly analytical ecosystem of T20 cricket, even micro-signals are decoded.And on flatter pitches, the margin for error is negligible. A slower ball that once encouraged mushts now travels.Is it right to call this IPL the beginning of Bumrah’s downfall?Gavaskar wants to tread carefully on this one. “It will only take one or two games. Once he starts picking up wickets, he will be back on track.Bumrah has faced a cycle of adaptation before. When the yorkers were picked, he ducked into a tight length. He turned to the angles and the seam when the batsmen lined them up. The slower ball itself once emerged as a response to batsmen getting comfortable.It could be just another stage, where the weapon is read. Maybe it’s time to step it up again.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled slowly.
