‘He’s human’: Dale Steyn makes big statement on Jasprit Bumrah’s poor IPL 2026 season

Jasprit Bumrah (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: Jasprit Bumrah, known for giving the batsmen a hard time, rattling the stumps and harassing them with crushing toes, did not have the best campaign with the ball in the Indian Premier League 2026 as he managed just four wickets in the tournament.However, former South African paceman Dale Steyn has backed Bumrah despite his disappointing season and said the Indian speedster will definitely be back next year and could even win the Purple Cap.Steyn also reminded critics that Bumrah played a key role in India’s triumph in the Men’s T20 World Cup in India just a few months ago.“He won the World Cup just a month and a half ago, two months ago and he was probably one of the bowlers of the tournament. So you can’t focus on him primarily. He had a bad tournament (IPL). There were good batsmen in this IPL who didn’t hit the ground running. Good. So it shows that he is human,” Steyn said on AB de Villiers’ YouTube channel.“He will come back strong and probably win the Purple Cap next season,” Steyn said.Bumrah also missed Mumbai Indians’ last league match, which the five-time champions lost by 30 runs.Mumbai Indians ended their IPL 2026 campaign at the ninth position in the points table. In 14 matches, they managed only four wins and suffered 10 defeats.Bumrah has also been rested for India’s upcoming home series against the Afghanistan national cricket team, with the team management keen to ensure he returns to full fitness ahead of a demanding international calendar later this year.

Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026

Matches: 14Wins: 4Losses: 10Points: 8Net Run Rate: -0.584Final position: 9th (eliminated)OppositionDateResultKolkata Knight RidersMar 29Won by 6 wicketsDelhi CapitalsApr 04Lost by 6 wicketsRajasthan RoyalsApr 07Lost by 27 runsRoyal Challengers BengaluruApr 12Lost by 18 runsPunjab Kings byApr 1720L wickets 99 runsChennai Super KingsDub 23Lost by 103 runsSunrisers HyderabadDubna 29Lost by 6 wicketsChennai Super KingsMay 02Lost by 8 wicketsLucknow Super GiantsMay 04Won by 6 wickets Royal Challengers BengaluruMay 2May 1 14Won by 6 wickets Kolkata Knight Riders May 20Lost by 4 wickets Rajasthan Royals May 24Lost by 30 runs

How do you think Bumrah has fared overall in IPL 2026?