Jasprit Bumrah (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: Jasprit Bumrah is going through a lean phase with the ball. In IPL 2026, the star pacer went five matches without a wicket – an unusual return for someone known for dismantling batting line-ups with his pace and accuracy. In the match against Punjab Kings on Thursday, Bumrah conceded 41 runs in his four overs and remained wicketless. Despite the struggles, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has backed his premiership bowler.“Bumrah is playing well, that’s where we don’t put pressure in the power bowl,” Jayawardene told reporters after the match.“They (the opposition) know they don’t have to take too many risks against Bumrah. We tried a few different things that he tries too, but they are batting well. I can’t put my finger (on anything) and say he didn’t take wickets.”The former Sri Lankan captain also revealed that Bumrah had a minor ailment at the start of IPL 2026 but has since recovered well.“I think initially because he had a bit of a bug that came from the World Cup,” he said while talking about Bumrah’s fluctuating pace.
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Bombay Sport Exchange: Munaf Patel on Gautam Gambhir, Virat vs Bumrah and Indian bowling. “We wanted to build him up (and) the last few games his velocity has picked up. We’ve looked at all of that, so he’s very comfortable. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck.”“(Bumrah) bowled really good balls to Shreyas (Iyer) initially, but he was unlucky. Once he starts taking wickets, he might not be able to stop him,” Jayawardene added.However, the coach admitted that Mumbai Indians’ bowling unit has lacked bite this season.After posting 195/6 in 20 overs, Mumbai Indians were unable to defend the total as Punjab Kings chased down 196 with 21 balls to spare and seven wickets to spare.“But as a (bowling) unit, as I said earlier, we’ve been missing that penetration in different surfaces and that’s something we’ve got to work on and see what we’ve got to do,” he said.Mumbai Indians are currently ninth in the points table with one win and four defeats.The five-time champions will next face Gujarat Titans on April 20.
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