Mumbai Indians OFFICIALLY REJECT Jasprit Bumrah’s poor form concerns

As per the latest comments from Mumbai Indians bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, the franchise is more concerned with Bumrah's fitness than his empty wickets tally, as he believes that the legendary paceman will get wickets once his hard work pays off.

The Mumbai Indians made it to the playoffs of the last season but have failed to maintain a promising patch in this season as well. They are placed in the 10th position after five games and have not shown glimpses of bouncing back. They have already lost four of the last five games this season.

One of the core reasons for this failure is their weakened bowling attack. Though they have only added players like Allah Ghazanfar and Shardul Thakur to the lineup from the last season, the bowlers have been thrashed, as all have had an economy rate over 12 this edition. Even the great Jasprit Bumrah has been rendered ineffective.

MI bowling coach backs Jasprit Bumrah despite wicketless stint

The Mumbai Indians' fans are not accustomed to watching a wicketless Jasprit Bumrah for so long in any edition of the IPL. The ace pacer has been a lethal threat in the MI attack, but this year, his impact has been reduced effectively by the batters. This has been a batter's season so far in the IPL, but Bumrah's class transcends statistics or figures.

After five games into the competition, Jasprit Bumrah has bowled 19 overs and is wicketless in this edition of the IPL. This has been a concern for the Mumbai Indians, as their most lethal weapon with the ball is no longer a threat.

However, this has happened with Bumrah, due to the players often adapting to a cautious approach against the Indian legend, as they have felt zero threat from the other end. The other MI bowlers, including Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, and Shardul Thakur, have given away runs at an economy of over 12 runs per over in almost every game.

Despite this, the MI bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey, has backed the veteran paceman and has shown faith in his abilities with the ball, idealizing him as a major match-winner.

"I have no doubt about him," Mumbai Indians coach relies on Bumrah to turn MI's fate in IPL 2026

Mhambrey did not consider Bumrah's wicketless tally to be a concern, as he explained that he has a very different role to play for the side and wickets don't always define performance.

“I don’t think it’s a challenging situation. Booms is a fighter. He is fighting his way through. Everything can’t be related to just wickets. He bowls at different stages of the game. Many times, he comes in at different roles for us, in terms of finishing the PowerPlay," he explained.

The legendary paceman has been injury-prone on the other end, missing games for MI on several occasions, and Mhambrey's biggest concern is that Bumrah gives his 100% in every game, fitness and performance-wise.

"For me, the most important bit is how he turns up for practice every session. At the nets, he came in with the same intensity, did the stuff that is expected out of him. I have no doubt about him. I’m sure others in the team as well—the captain, the coach and all the management—have no doubt in terms of his performance.... All that effort will translate into wickets in future games," he added.

MI take on the Gujarat Titans in the Rivalry week

The Mumbai Indians, who have already lost four games in a row, need to bounce back in the contest, and in order to do so, they will have to excel in the rivalry week. Under skipper Hardik Pandya, they clash against his former franchise, the Gujarat Titans, in Ahmedabad.

They have two big games in the rivalry week against the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings. While the Titans knocked MI out of the IPL 2023 playoffs, the Mumbai Indians avenged their defeat in the 2025 playoffs by knocking the Titans out.

Before the big game, MI would aim to get a 100% fit side, with Rohit Sharma returning at the top and Will Jacks also back with the squad. However, both these things are yet to be confirmed, as Rohit is being closely monitored and Jacks is yet to join the Mumbai Indians camp.

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