MI coach issues blunt statement on Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah’s IPL 2026 horror show

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has opened up about the poor form of stalwarts Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah in IPL 2026.

After their loss to Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, MI have been practically eliminated from playoffs contention in IPL 2026. For a team that has won the trophy five times, it is a completely unexpected rite of passage.

Before the season started, MI were hailed as the team to beat courtesy of their star power. Mumbai Indians contained four players from India's 2026 T20 World Cup winning squad - MI skipper Hardik Pandya, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, pace ace Jasprit Bumrah, and young batter Tilak Varma.

Now, though, all four of them are woefully out of form, and that has resulted in the Mumbai Indians being ninth on the IPL 2026 points table. Not to mention that MI's five-time IPL trophy-winning skipper Rohit Sharma is currently out injured.

KEY POINTS

• Mahela Jayawardene backed Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah
• Said both players are close to regaining form
• Mumbai Indians struggling near bottom of table
  

Poor form of all the Mumbai Indians players

With just one half-century, Suryakumar Yadav has made just 183 runs in 9 matches at an average of 20 and a strike rate of 144.

Tilak Varma made a century earlier in the season, but has managed only 193 runs in 9 matches with a high score of 101*. He averages just 24 but has a relatively fine strike rate of 165.

Skipper Hardik Pandya has been unable to make a real impact with the bat either. In 8 matches, he has 146 runs at an average of 21 and a strike rate of 136 with a high score of 40.

With the ball, Pandya has been worse. He has bowled more than 20 overs in the tournament but has taken just 4 wickets. He has been averaging 61.50 at an economy of almost 12 runs per over.

Jasprit Bumrah has been completely out of touch with the ball in IPL 2026. In 9 matches, he has taken just 3 wickets with a respectable economy of 8.6 but an eye-watering average of 94.67.

"It's just a matter of time" - Jayawardene on Suryakumar Yadav

Mahela Jayawardene spoke during the post-match press conference after MI's loss to Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, May 2.

On Suryakumar Yadav, Jayawardene said that it was basically a matter of time until he found his rhythm, even though there are just 5 matches left in the season.

"I don't think his output is down; if he gets a few scores together, I think he'll find that rhythm. He played really well today for that period, really took on the bowlers in that phase. I think another couple of overs he could have been off for a really good score."

"Sometimes when things are not going your way it doesn't fall in place; I think it was a pretty good shot went straight to the fielder. He's definitely up for it, I think he's in a good space, it just that hasn't worked like the amount of times he's got caught on the boundary this season with some of those shots. It's just a matter of time but I think he himself is disappointed but just have to keep on working harder," he said.

Suryakumar Yadav has made just one fifty in IPL 2026. Interestingly, he was the stand-in captain for that one match.

On Jasprit Bumrah, Jayawardene said that MI's collective bowling failures were hampering Bumrah's output.

"It's not just Booms; it's a collective effort from all the bowlers. When everyone's working together and you're picking up wickets here and there, that helps Bumrah to be bit more aggressive as well rather than doing a holding job. Everyone tends to have a slow season, but class is always permanent," he stressed.

Also Read: Not Virat Kohli! Dinesh Karthik compares Smriti Mandhana to MS Dhoni amid IPL 2026

Mumbai Indians' next match

MI and Suryakumar Yadav will take on an equally dubiously performing Lucknow Super Giants next.

Now that MI are pretty much eliminated from IPL 2026, they will hope that the nothing-to-lose attitude will help their players gain form.

FAQs

1. What did Mahela Jayawardene say about Suryakumar Yadav?
   He said it is only a matter of time before Suryakumar finds his rhythm again.
2. What is Jasprit Bumrah’s form in IPL 2026?
   He has taken only 3 wickets in 9 matches with a high average.
3. Can Mumbai Indians still qualify for playoffs?
   They are almost out of contention after multiple losses.