Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu has exposed the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) major weakness and Jasprit Bumrah’s ineffectiveness in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026).
Mumbai Indians entered IPL 2026 with big expectations from their superstar Jasprit Bumrah, but the first week of this season has exposed the unexpected weakness for the five-time champions.
Jasprit Bumrah under fire in IPL 2026
Even though MI defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their season opener, Jasprit Bumrah’s form has become a major talking point, and the concerns grew even louder after their crushing defeat against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on 4 April.
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Following MI’s six-wicket loss to DC, Bumrah’s spell has yet again come under fire. He was easily MI’s most economical bowler, giving away only 21 runs in 4 overs at an impressive economy of 5.25. But for the second consecutive match, Bumrah failed to pick a single wicket.
DC defeat deepens MI’s woes in IPL 2026
Sameer Rizvi, who smashed a blazing 90 off 51 balls, led the DC’s successful chase, and David Miller calmly guided the innings with an unbeaten 21. The concerning point came for MI when DC scored 11 runs off Bumrah’s final over at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Even before this match, Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless against KKR in their season opener, conceding 35 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 8.75. His expensive final overs have become a worrying pattern this season. With Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Corbin Bosch also leaking runs under pressure, Bumrah has not received enough support during the death overs.
Jasprit Bumrah is not at his best: Ambati Rayudu
After the DC vs MI clash in Delhi, Ambati Rayudu has pointed out that Bumrah is not at his best. The cricket pandit noted that the MI star’s yorkers are not landing consistently, and his pace has dipped, allowing batters to play him more confidently in the tournament.
Ambati Rayudu said on ESPNCricinfo: “If you look at MI’s bowling, I think one area where they can improve is the death bowling. And even Bumrah is missing his Yorkers, and even his fast balls are just 130 Kmph. So, will people play on his reputation or play what’s in front of them? It’s a question that will be very, very interesting to watch because he is not at his best, definitely.
He is bowling good slow balls, but his pace is definitely down. And also, one thing to look at is who is going to be his bowling partner in the death. That is one area I haven’t seen them be very convincing in this season. So, you know, somebody who can fill in that role.”
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We were a little short: Suryakumar Yadav
Despite this, MI’s stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav has defended his bowlers by saying that they were 15-20 runs short of the target that could have troubled the DC batters in Delhi. The five-time champions managed only 162 runs, and Delhi chased down the target in 18.1 overs.
Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation, “We expected the wicket to be a little on the slower side, but still from a batting point of view, we were a little short, 15-20 runs, but I don’t want to take any credit away from their bowlers, and also, they batted really well in the second innings.”
