Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t managed to pick up a single wicket in five IPL 2026 matches, and he’s giving up 8.20 runs an over while doing it. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan thinks the problem comes down to one specific tactical habit.
Bumrah has been using slower balls almost 44% of the time this season, which means nearly every other delivery is a change of pace. Pathan argues that leaning so hard on the slower ball has made the Mumbai Indians star predictable, and top T20 batters have started reading him early and adjusting their shots.
This dry spell is a big deal when you look at his history. The last time Bumrah went this long without a wicket was way back in 2014 when he was just starting out in the IPL. Now, at 32 and known as one of the best fast bowlers of his era, seeing him go five matches without a breakthrough feels very strange to fans and experts. Pathan was blunt about it, saying that when Bumrah isn't taking wickets, it weakens the entire Mumbai Indians bowling attack.
Why did the slower ball strategy stop working?
Pathan noted that Bumrah's average speed this season has been around 130 kmph, which is quite a bit slower than his usual pace. When a bowler as good as Bumrah drops his speed and relies on slower balls so often, batters catch on to the pattern quickly. The element of surprise, which is usually why Bumrah is so effective, just isn't there.
Pathan suggested that if Bumrah cuts back the slower balls to about 35% and mixes in more seam and swing, the wickets will return. He believes the fix is simple: bowl faster, bring back the variety, and trust the skills that made him world-class in the first place.
Bumrah’s stats over these matches tell the story: 0/40 against Kolkata Knight Riders, 0/21 against Delhi Capitals, 0/35 against Rajasthan Royals in a rain-shortened game, and 0/32 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Every match adds another result that the Mumbai Indians management will find tough to swallow.
What does this mean for the Mumbai Indians right now?
The overall situation at the Mumbai Indians makes this slump even tougher to deal with. The team had won only one of its first four games and sat in eighth place on the IPL 2026 points table. Pathan also pointed out issues with the spin department.
He mentioned that without a dominant spinner like Rashid Khan and with Bumrah struggling for wickets, the bowling attack lacks real clinical effectiveness. Mayank Markande, who joined from KKR before the season, hasn’t quite made the impact the team hoped for, leaving the lineup looking a bit short on match-winners.
"Jasprit Bumrah being wicketless is a problem for them. He hasn't been able to bowl at high pace, and his slower ones have been short. He needs to pitch it up. He doesn't seem to be injured, but I think these two things are causing problems. He needs to bowl the slower one fuller and bowl more high-pace deliveries," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Pathan and other experts agree there’s nothing wrong with Bumrah’s talent; he just needs a tactical tweak rather than a total rethink of his bowling.
Jasprit Bumrah is far too talented to stay quiet for this long, and the Mumbai Indians will be hoping he makes the changes Pathan suggested sooner rather than later. There are still plenty of matches left to turn things around, but for both Bumrah and the team, that turnaround needs to start now.
