IPL 2026: Why is Jasprit Bumrah not taking wickets in the current IPL season? Irfan Pathan reveals the reason.

If there is one player for whom IPL 2026 has proven to be the worst season yet, it is Jasprit Bumrah—currently regarded as the world’s best fast bowler. Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah is neither succeeding in stemming the flow of runs nor managing to take wickets. Bumrah’s lack of form is being cited as a major reason behind Mumbai’s struggles in the current season.

Bumrah’s Form Sparks Concern

Jasprit Bumrah is the strongest and most pivotal weapon in the Mumbai Indians’ bowling arsenal. Whether it is the opening overs or the death overs, scoring runs against Bumrah has always been a daunting task. Batsmen typically avoid taking risks against him, prioritizing the preservation of their wickets instead. The same holds true for him in international cricket; however, IPL 2026 has turned out to be a starkly different, anomalous, and disappointing experience for Bumrah. Runs are being scored with surprising ease off the bowling of Bumrah, famously known as the ‘Yorker King.’ In fact, 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi even smashed a six off his very first delivery. Having bowled 19 overs across five matches this season and conceded 164 runs, Bumrah has failed to claim a single wicket. This is a troubling development and stands as one of the contributing factors to Mumbai’s string of consecutive defeats.

Irfan Analyzes Bumrah’s Bowling

Analyzing Bumrah’s bowling on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan remarked, “It is crucial for Bumrah to start taking wickets. There is no fundamental issue with his form. His average pace this season has hovered around 130 km/h. He is currently utilizing slower deliveries for approximately 44 percent of his bowling—meaning nearly every second ball is a slower one. I believe that if he delivers more fastballs relative to his slower ones, he will begin to see positive results. This could serve as a simple solution to the current predicament; otherwise, Bumrah certainly does not require any coaching.”

On his own YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra offered a different perspective, stating, “I do not see any fault of Bumrah’s in this situation. Even now, Bumrah is not conceding an excessive amount of runs; his economy rate remains below 10. The actual problem lies with the bowlers who bowl immediately before and after Bumrah.” They are leaking so many runs that no one wants to take a risk against Bumrah. That is precisely why he isn’t getting any wickets. In T20 cricket, it is difficult to take a wicket simply by bowling a good delivery; wickets only come when the batsmen go for a shot.