Jasprit Bumrah’s first wicket in IPL 2026 (Photo: IPL) Jasprit Bumrah finally took his first wicket of IPL 2026 after six consecutive wicketless matches, and after Mumbai Indians’ emphatic win over Gujarat Titans, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin explained why Bumrah got into his form despite good spells in the first two matches. Mumbai Indians produced a dominant all-round performance to beat Gujarat Titans convincingly. After being reduced to 44/3 in the over, MI recovered thanks to a key partnership between Naman Dhir (45) and Tilak Verma. Tilak then produced an unbeaten 101* from 45 balls which powered MI to a strong total of 199/5.
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Ashwani Kumar opens Mumbai Indians win, team mindset For GT, Kagiso Rabada (3/33) was an excellent bowler while Mohammed Siraj remained economical.In response, Gujarat Titans never got going and were bowled out for just 100 in 15.5 overs. Ashwani shone with a career-best 4/24, while Allah Ghazanfar and Mitchell Santner chipped in with two wickets apiece to seal a comprehensive win for MI.While Tilak Verma’s scintillating century under pressure and Ashwani Kumar’s four-wicket haul were showpiece performances that revived MI’s hopes of any progress in the tournament, perhaps the biggest positive was Bumrah snapping his IPL wicketless streak dating back to last year’s playoffs, marking his biggest run without any IPL.Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his thoughts on Jasprit Bumrah’s recent performances, suggesting that external narratives about his lack of wickets may have affected the star pacer’s rhythm.Ashwin commented on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’ that while Bumrah had played well in the opening matches, the pressure of not taking wickets and losing the team could have affected his confidence.“I still think Bumrah played really well in the first two matches but then the team started losing. Then the narrative also started that Bumrah wasn’t getting wickets. It was probably in his head. He got a wicket and it had to happen. In the last two matches, that’s not the Bumrah I’ve seen but it’s likely we’ll see the best of him ahead,” Ashwin said.Ashwin also pointed out that Bumrah looked slightly off his usual standards in the matches against Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru where he conceded runs and looked uncharacteristically frustrated.
Hardik Pandya backtracked to regain form
Ashwin also backed Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya to rediscover his batting form, especially after the team’s recent win. He stressed that Hardik is yet to produce a definitive innings this season, but believes that one impressive knock could change everything for both the player and the team.“Remember, Hardik Pandya is yet to open with the bat. He will also start opening with the bat. It’s just a matter of one innings. If he gets a good hit in one innings, it will be very difficult to stop this team. If this team starts firing, it will be very difficult to stop them. Hardik as a captain has not won and there has been a lot of pressure on him because his batting is high and because of that Hardik has a lot of pressure on his batting. Pandya will find his mojo with with a bat,” he said.Hardik has crossed the 20-run mark only once in five innings so far this season. He scored 96 runs at an average of 24.00 and a strike rate of over 143, with a highest score of 40.
