Irfan Pathan has shared his views on Jasprit Bumrah’s poor form in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 season. The Mumbai Indians pacer has failed to take a single wicket in five matches so far. His latest outing came at Wankhede Stadium, where he conceded 41 runs without success against Punjab Kings.
Mumbai Indians lost the match by seven wickets on April 16. Bumrah’s form has now become a concern for the team.
Pathan points out key issues in Bumrah’s bowling
Pathan believes that Bumrah needs to improve his bowling strategy. He said that the pacer has not been bowling at his usual high speed. He also mentioned that Bumrah’s slower deliveries are too short.
“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,” said Pathan on his YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, Pathan praised Shreyas Iyer for his match-winning performance. Iyer scored 66 runs off 35 balls and led his team to an easy chase of 196 runs in just 16.3 overs.
“Shreyas Iyer runs the game really well when he is on the field, rotating his bowlers perfectly. We have already seen that, but when he bats, it seems like he never loses control, be it the chase, the bowlers, or the shot selection. When he hit that six to Bumrah off the short ball, it was like he was waiting for Bumrah to bowl short. We could not forget the four he hit last year, and he hit yet another amazing shot. We can see a total cruise control in his batting,” said Pathan.
Pathan also praised Prabhsimran Singh, who scored an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls. He highlighted the batter’s growth and maturity this season.
“No matter how much you praise this unbeaten 80, it won’t be enough. He has shown great control and improvement. He scored 500 runs last year, and it seemed like he was a good player who could bat aggressively. But he has shown maturity this year. He is targeting his bowlers and also stepping out against slow bowlers. He was waiting for the slower ones from Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur. He knows that he can step out against a bowler who doesn’t have a high pace. He did not step out against Bumrah, but he showed aggression while facing him as well,” Pathan concluded.
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