New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah‘s longest wicketless streak has coincided with Mumbai Indians’ slow start at IPL 2026 and their over-dependency on him for breakthroughs has been deemed counter-productive.
Mumbai have lost three consecutive matches after winning their tournament opener and are eighth in the standings among 10 teams.
They slumped to an 18-run loss to defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at their home of Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
As in their first three matches, Bumrah went wickless against RCB too, extending his wicketless streak to five matches across editions.
Former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis said felt it’s time for Mumbai to look at other avenues for wickets and use Bumrah judiciously.
“When you look at that bowling attack, especially in high-scoring games of 250 or more, you have to assess what the rest of the attack is conceding beyond Bumrah’s four overs, which are usually very economical. That’s where Mumbai Indians need to find answers,” du Plessis told Star Sports.
“They need to maximise Bumrah’s impact by using him at key stages, but it doesn’t get any easier with strong batting line-ups continuing to dominate.
“They will need to sit down and reassess their approach, particularly in the Powerplay, whether that involves tactical changes or bringing in different personnel.”
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar pointed out Mumbai need to improve their performance in the first six overs of Powerplay, as they have faltered during that crucial phase with the bat as well as the ball.
“They needed to score at least 12 runs more to stay on track with the required rate, but they couldn’t manage that. Even while rotating strike, the required rate kept climbing. That is an area they need to address,” Gavaskar said.
“As Hardik Pandya mentioned, both their batting and bowling Powerplays are not yielding the kind of results needed to take control of the game.”
Jasprit Bumrah’s last five IPL innings:
0/40 (4) vs PBKS, Ahmedabad (IPL 2025)
0/35 (4) vs KKR, Wankhede (IPL 2026)
0/21 (4) vs DC, Delhi (IPL 2026)
0/32 (3) vs RR, Guwahati (IPL 2026)
0/35 (4) vs RCB, Wankhede (IPL 2026)