Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard has defended ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah after the latter was subject to criticism following his poor performance in IPL 2026.
Pollard spoke to the media after MI’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 29, where the five-time champions failed to defend 243 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Bumrah was far from his best as he struggled with his lines and lengths and conceded 54 runs without taking any wickets in four overs.
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and even rookie Salil Arora all treated Bumrah without any reverence, dispatching him beyond the boundary one after another.
Jasprit Bumrah’s struggles in IPL 2026
Usually considered the best bowler in the world, Jasprit Bumrah has been anything but the best in IPL 2026. With just 2 wickets in 8 matches, he has been reduced to something even less than a shadow of his former self.
While Bumrah’s economy rate of 8.8 runs per over is decent considering the way the game is played today, his bowling average of 132 is jarring. This was, after all, the same bowler who was anointed the player of the match in the final of the T20 World Cup just last month.
The lack of wickets has also been shocking considering the fact that Bumrah has taken at least 15 wickets in every IPL season since 2016 – even in 2022, where he had just 5 wickets in his first 10 matches.
“He is allowed to have a bad day, and he is allowed to have a bad season” – Kieron Pollard
After the match against SRH, Pollard jumped to Bumrah’s defense and talked about how even the best players can have an off day.
“Again, when a cricketer is not doing well, we look at every single aspect as to why he’s not doing well. And there’s no difference with Jasprit Bumrah, all right? He has done this for years,” Pollard said.
“As a human being, he’s entitled as well to make mistakes, to not have a good day, not have a good season, not have a good couple of months. And I just feel that we need to sometimes remember the good things that he has done.”
Pollard urged fans and the media to allow Jasprit Bumrah some leeway regarding his rough phase.
“Yes, we try to live in the present, and he hasn’t been up to the mark. But he’s still been the number one bowler for the Mumbai Indians and India over a period of time. So I just feel that sometimes we can cut some slack to us cricketers, because, as I always say, we are unfortunate to always be in the public eye.”
Pollard also said that it would only help him if sections of the media were to write good things about Jasprit Bumrah. He pointed to the contrast between opportunities for non-sportsmen to correct their mistakes.
“When normal people have jobs, and they send the wrong email, they have the opportunity to edit the words and all these things. We don’t have that opportunity. So it’s fair and fine – when you’re not doing well, you accept certain things. And knowing the individual, I know he’s going to bounce back to greater heights and take wickets. And we’re again going to be singing “Bumrah, Bumrah,” not only for Mumbai Indians but for India. So again, let’s cut him some slack, and let’s see if that might help him as well – if we see some good things written about him.”
Mumbai Indians’ current position and next match
The loss to SRH has left the Mumbai Indians ninth on the points table with just 2 wins in 8 matches. One more loss would essentially spell closure on their chances of making it to the playoffs.
MI’s next match is against arch-rivals and fellow five-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings. MI have already lost to CSK once this season, and Jasprit Bumrah, among other players, would be raring to go.
Also Read: Mumbai Indians qualification scenario after loss to SRH in IPL 2026