Mumbai: Jaspreet BumrahThe wait to open their account this season is now beginning to hurt Mumbai India’s campaign in IPL 2026.The 31-year-old premier pacer’s barren run against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night continued, as he went 0-35 from four overs in MI’s 18-run loss. In his five games, in which he has bowled 122 balls, Bumrah is yet to take a wicket for MI. This season, they have bowled 15 overs in four matches, and while they have conceded just 123 runs, there is nothing to show for it in the wickets column.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Bumrah’s performance in last five IPL innings is: 0/40 (4 overs) vs PBKS, Ahmedabad, 2025, 0/35 (4) vs KKR, Wankhede, 2026, 0/21 (4) vs DC, Delhi, 2026, R, 3, 2026 2026, 0/35 (4) vs RCB, 2026 Wankhede, 2026.However, MI’s bowling woes are not about Bumrah’s wicketless runs. Although the ‘strike bowler’ has not been able to strike, his economy rate of 8.20 is still the best among bowlers. The five-time IPL champion has taken just 14 wickets in four matches in IPL 2026. There is not a single MI bowler among the top ten wicket takers this season. On Sunday, RCB’s pacemen took them to the cleaners with 240 for four. In previous matches too, the teams have scored freely against them – Kolkata Knight Riders scored 220 for four at the Wankhede Stadium in the opener, Delhi Capitals chased down 163 in 18.1 overs, while Rajasthan Royals raced to 150/3 in just 11 overs.In the past, Trent Boult has been one of the most successful bowlers in the IPL in powerplay overs, delivering blows with the new ball on a regular basis and forming a lethal partnership with Bumrah. However, the veteran New Zealand left-arm pacer, who took 146 wickets in 123 matches in 12 seasons, has looked a slight shadow of himself, picking up just one wicket in three matches @ 110.00 at an economy rate of 12.22. Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur has been MI’s highest wicket-taker this season – five wickets @29.60 in four matches – but has leaked runs at 13.45 per over. Highlighting this point about Bumrah’s lack of support in MI, India’s off-spin great Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube show, “It would be unfair to blame Bumrah for the lack of wickets. It is a team game, and in T20 cricket, wickets come through constant pressure. If you look at Krunal Pandya (1 for 26 runs) and Swish Sharma (2 for 47 runs), they got wickets because there was pressure from Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the other end. Bumrah has not received such support.” Sheriff Rutherford, who hit nine sixes in his 31-ball 71 not out on his MI debut as an ‘impact player’, said at the post-match press conference on Sunday, “It’s definitely not a concern, to be honest. The opposition batted well and I think we need to give credit where it is due. Like I said, it’s just a small margin for us – maybe a few field changes here or there – but I don’t think it has much to do with our bowlers. It’s more about executing better and continuing to improve.” After their third consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, the MI skipper after their impressive win in the season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders. Hardik Pandya “I think in the last couple of games, as a bowling unit or even as a batting unit, we’ve been pretty much holding back rather than leading the game. We really need to think, really look at what we can do and how we can get the momentum and the click that we need. We’ve got a couple of days off from here and we’ll play again,” he said. “Yeah, definitely not the best start, but like I said, it’s not how you start, it’s how you move forward. It’s about how we learn. We need to go back to the drawing board, focus on smaller margins, and come back stronger as a team. We are a good side, and three games doesn’t make us bad. It’s a 14-game season, and there’s a long way to go,” Rutherford said.On the eve of their big-ticket game against RCB, Mumbai Indians‘The batting coach Kieron Pollard Concerns about Bumrah’s lack of wickets were allayed. Pollard said, “For us, it’s about coming together as one and getting the desired result at the end of the day. Otherwise, you start looking at different things and creating narratives that don’t really exist. For us, he’s fine: he’s fit, he’s firing. And for your sake, I hope he takes five wickets tomorrow.”That ‘tomorrow’ needs to come soon, for MI’s sake, before it’s too late.
