NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is going through an unusual rough patch in IPL 2026. Known for troubling the world’s best batsmen, Bumrah has been torn apart this season, with little going in his favour. In five matches so far, he has conceded 164 runs without picking up a wicket, operating at an economy rate of 8.63.
Against Punjab Kings, there were expectations of a turnaround but the struggles continued and he posted figures of 0/41.
The frustration was visible, with Bumrah seen in a viral video picking up his run marker after his over and throwing it in anger.
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan also analyzed Bumrah’s downfall on his YouTube channel and pointed out a possible reason. He highlighted the overuse of slower deliveries by the Mumbai Indians spearhead.
“Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling wickets are very important. There is no major problem with his form, but his average speed this season has been around 130 kmph. He has been using the slower ball around 44 per cent of the time, which means almost every second ball is slower,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.“Why is Jasprit Bumrah doing this? I think this needs a deeper look. If he bowls faster pitches and reduces the percentage of slower balls, the results will come. It’s a very simple solution. Bumrah doesn’t need training, but the numbers show what is happening,” he added.
“44 per cent slower balls and an average speed below 130 kmph means you need to increase your pace. Obviously, if you bowl slower pitches, your average speed will go down. But if you lower the percentage of slower balls to around 35 per cent. If you keep it around 30 to 35 per cent and bowl faster pitches, your slower balls will become more effective. And if you also get seam and swing, then you can also dismiss hitters,” Pathan said.
Mumbai Indians have now suffered their fourth consecutive defeat of the season and are at ninth place in the points table. They will next face Gujarat Titans on April 20.