Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah (PTI Photo/Salman Ali) There was a time when Jasprit Bumrah’s slower ball was not just a variation, it was magic. A carefully disguised trick executed with the same arm speed that forced even the best batsmen into indecisiveness. He didn’t just use it. He used it as the latest smartphone and played with it.This IPL, the toy looked a bit dated.The numbers are uncharacteristically stark: 46 slower balls, 74 runs conceded, no wickets. It’s a rare slump for a pitcher whose reputation rests as much on deception as discipline. And it reflects the wider struggle. Bumrah has just three wickets in 10 matches this season, an economy of 8.89 and an average ball at 109.67. Those are figures that don’t match the maestro and Bumrah’s struggles have had a direct impact on Mumbai Indians in this forgettable campaign.
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Debut in India: Calls are getting louderSunil Gavaskar, speaking on Star Sports, perhaps summed it up best:“Bumrah is at his best but he seems to be trying too many extra things. He is creating chances for the wicket but luck is not on his side. His pace has also gone down. His length of the ball as he transitions to slower has become fuller. The line that used to go to the stumps now drifts towards the leg stump.”This observation goes to the heart of the problem. A slower ball has not only lost range, it has lost accuracy.But one can perhaps understand why Bumrah gets into it so often. Because it allowed him to break the game. Just hit the rewind button and go back in your memory to the Boxing Day Test vs. Australia at the MCG in 2018. Shaun Marsh pushes for a breakthrough in India before lunch. Bumrah rolls his fingers over the seam, same action, different pace, Marsh doesn’t read it and the ball hits his pads and is leaden in front as India take control.Lord’s 2021: Ollie Robinson, riding the clock and blunting India’s bid for a memorable victory on day five, was thwarted by a change of pace from rounding the stumps and was lbw. The global scene offered even clearer illustrations. Steve Smith failed to catch a glimpse of the slower in the 2023 ODI World Cup final and was lbw. It offered a brief window where India felt the momentum of the heartbreaking loss. Mohammad Rizwan, duped twice, in Ahmedabad and then in New York. Harry Brook in the WC T20 semi-final, Rachin Ravindra and Mitch Santner in the final, each an example of how Bumrah used the slower ball not as a stock option but as a trigger point for collapse.His MI teammate Ryan Rickelton failed to read his variation in Ahmedabad and Roston Chase in Kolkata was also fooled. The pattern was familiar. Bumrah’s slower ball thrived in masking, timing and understanding the situation. It arrived when the batters least expected it and left them with no answer.
Mumbai: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, left, Jasprit Bumrah, right and Suryakumar Yadav during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)
This IPL, that layer of surprise seems thinner.Gavaskar points to technical drift:“The length of his transition to the slower ball has become fuller… the line that used to go towards the stumps is now drawn towards the leg stump.That marginal shift is important. Bumrah’s slower ball always worked best when he threatened the stumps first and forced the batsmen to bat. A fuller stump line offers release, allowing hitters to access angles, even on mistimed shots.There is also an element of overcomplication.“He’s overdoing it and it’s hurting him… He should go back to his basics and stick to what suits him best,” Gavaskar remarked.Bumrah seems to have added layers, different lengths, slight variations in pace in an effort to stay ahead of the increasingly prepared batters, but has that diluted the clarity that once defined the delivery? The slower ball was most effective when it was simple, sharp and perfectly placed and used sparingly. Now occasionally in the hit zone. Moreover, he used it too often. Against RR, when he had to bowl a maximum of 18 balls, he bowled 10 off-pace. Even the uncharacteristic off-balls, six or seven this season, suggest a broken rhythm.“He is not known for bowling many no-balls. Trying new things affects his rhythm,” Gavaskar added.For a pitcher built on control, rhythm is everything.There’s also the inevitable factor: familiarity.Bumrah is no longer an unknown quantity. His release, his cues, his patterns are all constantly dissected by analysts and opposing captains and coaches through years of data and revelations. Batters no longer just react; they expect In the hyper-analytical ecosystem of T20 cricket, even micro-signals are being decoded.And on flatter pitches, the room for error is negligible. A slower ball that once caused errors now travelsIs it right to call this IPL the beginning of a decline for Bumrah?Gavaskar wants to proceed with caution. “It will only take one or two games. Once he starts picking up wickets, he will be back on track.”Bumrah has faced adjustment cycles before. When the yorkers were picked, he leaned into hard lengths. As the dough lined them up, it turned into angles and seams. The slower ball itself once emerged as a response to batsmen getting comfortable.This could simply be another such phase where the weapon was read. Maybe it’s time for the wielder to sharpen it up again.
Jasprit Bumrah bats the slower ones
Number of Opposition Balls Slower Balls Runs ConcededWicketsLSG1.5 (0), 3.3 (6), 3.5 (1), 13.3 (NB+2), 18.4 (0) 590 CSK (1st Match) 14.4 (0) 100SRH1.4 (6), 131 (4), 131 (4), 5.11 (4), 13.5 (4), 17.4 (1) 6160 CSK (match 2) 4.3 (6) 160 GTNot used slower balls001PBKS1.3 (0), 1.5 (0), 5.5 (0), 12.2 (4), 14.1 (4), 14.4 (1), 14.4 (1), 33.94 (2), 5.5 (1 + wide), 16.1 (1), 16.3 (0) 690RR1.2 (1), 1.3 (1), 1.4 (6), 1.6 (0), 6.3 (1), 6.5 (1), 9.1 (0), 9.3 (wide +1), 9.3 (01), 9.5 (01), 9.5 (01) DC 5.5 (1), 5.6 (0), 12.1 (0), 12.5 (0), 15.2 (1), 15.4 (wide+1)630KKR4.3 (4), 11.2 (1), 11.5 (1), 17.1 (4)4100 Total – 46740
