The previous Mumbai Indians Spinner Harbhajan Singh What is the defense? Jaspreet Bumrah Amid the pacer’s underwhelming IPL 2026 campaign, concerns were also expressed over the team’s overall bowling unit and lack of confidence. Along withWidely regarded as one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, he endured an unusually quiet season for his high standards, picking up just three wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 8.51. Mumbai’s campaign came to an end on Sunday after a defeat by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur, officially knocking them out of the play-off race.
While Bumrah bowled well at the death and briefly gave MI hope during RCB’s chase, Harbhajan believes the bigger problem lies in the team’s over-reliance on him and lack of support from the rest of the attack. “Jasprit Bumrah is the type of bowler who can change the match at any time. But relying too much on it is not the right thing to do,” Harbhajan said on JioStar. “I think like the other bowlers in the team Trent BoltDeepak Chahar et al Hardik Pandyaare all less reliable. The challenge in this camp is how to get them back to the same level of confidence as the others.” Harbhajan pointed out that Mumbai have built their bowling plans around Bumrah over the years, but felt that the current set-up has become too dependent on the Indian pacer. “Mumbai Indians have depended on Bumrah ever since he came into the team, but at the moment they are relying on him a lot,” he added. “Someone else needs to take wickets. Spinners are also a concern. I think the biggest weakness in this side is the lack of quality local spinners. There used to be some good Indian spinners in the past, but there are none now, and that’s a big gap in the squad.” Harbhajan, who was part of Mumbai’s golden era and won three IPL titles with the franchise between 2013 and 2017, also expressed dismay at the team’s apparent lack of intensity and belief this season. “The body language of Mumbai Indians, which also plays a big role, is something I have never seen before,” he said. “I’ve been part of this team for almost 10 years. Even when we were losing, like this season where we lost five in a row, our body language was never flat, the will to fight back was always there.” According to the former Indian spinner, the current MI squad lacks the spark of confidence and leadership needed to pull through tough situations. “Right now, that trust is missing. Someone needs to lead the way and say, ‘What happened is in the past. How we change things from here depends on how we react on the field.’ It starts with one person, someone who needs to step up as that leader and take the team forward,” Harbhajan added.
