Jasprit Bumrah has been a legend of the game and particularly speaking where it comes to his contributions in the IPL for his Mumbai side, then his bowling has been exemplary, and has inspired, many a rising Cricketer.
Of that there is little doubt. But then the problem with great Cricketers is that due to their elevated standards of performance, which are marked by pure excellence, any time where there is a dip in the form, they are sometimes hounded and a bit irrationally so as far as the social media space is concerned.
Criticism, whether it comes from critics or astute observers of the game or not, inevitably follows, and it tends to hound great cricketer of players of the statue of Jasprit Bumrah. Now just hours ago, his Mumbai Indians team played its final game in the IPL 2026 season and unfortunately it was an occasion where Bumrah did not play.
Whether he was given a rest or whether there were some injuries couple, it’s not certain, but what scar is that Bumrah has already ended his IPL campaign ditto for Mumbai Indians. But at the end of it, we see that Jasprit has not been extended the same kind of respect in regard that he would have so wanted.
Surely, this season was marked by underwhelming returns where the ball was concerned. And that comes to matter ever so more because the person being highlighted here is none other than a ‘Supremo of Fast bowling’, a highly skilled bowler, and someone who has been considered exceptional by batters, whether they have played against him or those belonging to the past generations.
At the end of the day, the statistics are anything but staggering and do command a tale of their own. On the whole – Bumrah was able to take 4 wickets. Just 4 wickets. And the bowling average was extremely high- it being an unwanted bowling record that he now comes to own. 102. Read that again. Let that sink in.
Certainly, things haven’t been fine where Bumrah is concerned, but that does not mean that the exceptionally skilled bowler, the thinking Cricketer and somebody who is always brought into bowl with an intent of causing damage to the batters deserves any less respect. Yes, it was a lame season, but given the fact that he has been so brilliantly consistent over the past seasons, this can be ignored. It can be considered as a bit of an off time with the ball for him.
Now here’s another bit of engaging statistic that may just calm some tense nerves. Despite of it all, the sheer lack of performances, Bumrah had an overall economy of just over 8.3. That’s when there have been such premier and highly accomplished bowlers going around- his rivals- such as – Starc, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep, Hazlewood and the likes.
Bumrah is a cult figure owing to the dedication he has to his craft and the fact that he’s more often than not, able to create breakthroughs with the ball in the first over of his being in operation. Surely; this wasn’t always the case this time around. But for all he’s done and for the important match winning experience he possesses in the highest annals of premier T20 competition, the Mumbai Indians legend could be cut some slack. Isn’t it?
For a player who’s so eager to contribute and has all along, 2026 could be judged a lame outing, of the kinds that happens to the best. Remember Virat Kohli wasn’t able to hit a test century in almost 3 years. Bumrah, always wiling to correct himself and give back to the game in his best possible avatar, will surely bounce back. He needs our support, not trolls!