Jasprit Bumrah has long been regarded as one of the finest bowlers of his generation, someone who built a reputation for delivering match-winning spells under pressure across formats. Over the past few years, fans and experts alike had become accustomed to seeing Bumrah produce moments of brilliance almost every time he stepped onto the field. However, IPL 2026 has presented a very different picture, with the Mumbai Indians spearhead enduring one of the toughest phases of his T20 career.
Fresh off another outstanding T20 World Cup campaign, expectations around Bumrah were naturally sky-high heading into the IPL season. Many believed he would once again lead Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack with the same authority and consistency that has defined his career. But things have not gone according to plan. Bumrah struggled to make an impact early in the tournament and failed to pick up a wicket in his first five matches, something rarely associated with a bowler of his calibre. While he has managed to take three wickets so far, the bigger concern has been the visible shift in how opposition batters are approaching him. Earlier, even the most experienced players treated Bumrah cautiously, often looking to survive his spells. This season, however, batters, especially younger players, have shown far greater intent and confidence against him. His economy rate of 8.89 is currently his worst in an IPL season where he has played more than five matches, underlining an unusually difficult campaign for the Indian pace ace.
Veteran India pacer Umesh Yadav weighed in on what may have gone wrong for Bumrah this season, suggesting that Mumbai Indians have not managed his bowling spells effectively. Umesh also pointed to the lack of consistency in how Bumrah has been used throughout the tournament as a possible reason for his struggles.
“With Bumrah, Mumbai hasn’t been consistent. Sometimes they bowl him in the powerplay, sometimes they don’t. When Bumrah comes to bowl, there’s no pressure because wickets haven’t fallen and the opposing team’s batsmen aren’t looking to attack him. Everyone knows that if we play out Bumrah, we can score against the other players. You either have him bowl one or two overs in the powerplay where he can create pressure, or you create a situation where you’re giving away fewer runs. Bumrah has to create all these things himself. That’s why I feel Bumrah is struggling a bit to take wickets, and the way people have started playing him, a bit carefully, taking time, not attacking him, that’s also a problem for him,” Umesh Yadav, expert on JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’, said while replying to Hindustan Times ‘ query in a selected media interaction.
Meanwhile, another Indian pace veteran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has enjoyed a remarkable IPL campaign in Royal Challengers Bengaluru colours despite being out of the national set-up for the past few years. The experienced seamer has continued to age gracefully, emerging as a leading contender for the Purple Cap with 17 wickets in just nine matches so far. Bhuvneshwar has once again delivered crucial breakthroughs for RCB in the powerplay, while also expanding his skillset to become equally effective in the death overs. His clever variations, control under pressure, and ability to adapt to different phases of the innings have played a massive role in RCB’s strong run this season.
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Drawing a comparison between Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar, Umesh explained why the RCB pacer has looked far more effective this season. Umesh credited Bhuvneshwar’s success to the clarity around his role, the backing from the team management, and the strong support he has received from bowling alongside Josh Hazlewood.
“Talking about Bhuvneshwar Kumar, because his planning and his work within his team is clear. Whenever he starts a match, see, he bowls in the powerplay and comes in at the death. His planning and game plan are completely set on where and when to bowl. He knows his bowling well, and we know he’s a master at swinging the ball both ways. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is doing better because he gets the chance to attack and take wickets, and he gets that situation with his fellow partners like Hazlewood. He knows exactly what the team requires from him in those first few overs. Because he has that support and a clear role, he is able to put the batsmen under pressure immediately,” Umesh said.
Praising Bhuvneshwar’s mastery with the new ball, Umesh highlighted how the veteran seamer continues to outsmart batters through discipline and subtle movement rather than relying purely on pace.
“The way he uses the new ball is a lesson for anyone. He doesn’t just bowl; he sets a trap. Because he is so consistent with his line and length, the batsmen are forced to play at balls they would rather leave. That is why he is so successful in the powerplay, he makes the batsman commit to the shot and then the swing does the rest,” he added.
Umesh highlights key difference between Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah
Summing up the contrast between the two experienced Indian pacers, Umesh felt Bumrah has largely been left to create pressure and wicket-taking opportunities on his own, while also dealing with batters who are now playing him with far greater caution than before.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar is doing better because he gets the chance to attack and take wickets, and he gets that situation with his fellow partners like Hazlewood. Bumrah has to create all these things himself. That’s why I feel Bumrah is struggling a bit to take wickets, and the way people have started playing him, a bit carefully, taking time, not attacking him, that’s also a problem for him,” he added.
The veteran paceman also reflected on the new JioHotstar ‘Champions Waali Commentary’ and how it differs from the usual commentary.
“In normal commentary, you just talk about what’s visible, but in this ‘Champions’ commentary, we have our own views. We relate our own stories and the history of the players coming up. We aren’t just doing commentary; we’re talking about life, what we’ve learned, what we’ve seen in the IPL, and the struggles of the boys coming up. We share our experience and the life experiences of the other players too. In normal commentary, you talk match-to-match, game-to-game, ball-to-ball, but here we talk beyond the game. We also look at alerts based on the match situation, like wicket alerts or big over alerts. We also make predictions based on what we’ve learned in our careers and in the IPL. That’s why this ‘Champions’ commentary is very different from normal commentary,” he concluded.
Champions Wali Commentary is a dedicated digital feed in Hindi on CTV featuring former TATA IPL champions who share never-heard-before tales and an insight into players’ minds as live action plays out.