"Need to find answers:" EX-CSK opener lashes Mumbai Indians for misusing Jasprit Bumrah in IPL 2026

The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 have been breathtaking to watch for the fans. The 19th edition of the tournament enters its fifth match week on Monday. Ahead of that, former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has raised serious concerns over Jasprit Bumrah’s form in the league. The star India pacer is yet to claim a wicket in the IPL.

This is the first time that Jasprit Bumrah has gone wicketless in four consecutive matches of the IPL. Does it show the bigger picture of the wickets that are being made in the tournament are more of a batting, however, even in batting, wickets Jasprit Bumrah have delivered for India and Mumbai Indians over the years.

Jasprit Bumrah is failing in IPL

Is there any other problem with Jasprit Bumrah, or have MI failed to use the speedster properly in the league so far? The question arises after their hat-trick of defeats in the IPL. Faf du Plessis believes that the five-time champions over-relied on Jasprit Bumrah.

Faf suggested letting go of their over-reliance on the pacer and requested them to use the seamer at crucial stages of the match. The suggestion came after MI’s 18-run defeat at the Wankhede Stadium against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Bumrah went for 0/35 in a match where 450+ aggregate runs were scored.

Mumbai Indians need to find answers- Faf du Plessis

“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,” he added.

Mumbai Indians starcast team a problem?

MI failed to chase the mammoth target of 241 runs as they could only get 222/5 in their 20 overs against RCB. This is the first time that the joint-most successful franchise have lost three consecutive matches in IPL history. MI won their opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and since then, they have failed to gain any points.

Mumbai are currently sitting at the 8th position of the table and are looking quite decimated after their three back-to-back losses. The too many star options for the team have led to the downfall of the team, and they are not being able to handle the failure. They have also been a batting-heavy side in the tournament with more reliance on Bumrah.

No other bowlers have been economical or have picked wickets at regular intervals, which has caused serious problems for the side. The management needs to find a solution in order to get back to the winning ways; another loss will possibly lead the team out of the playoff qualification scenario. MI plays Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) next on Thursday.

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