The hiccup behind the slump? Jayawardene opens up about Bumrah’s struggles

New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah Going through the tilt phase of dribbling. The star pacer has gone five consecutive games without a wicket in IPL 2026 – an unusual return for a man who has devastated the batting line-up with his pace and accuracy. Bumrah conceded 41 runs in four overs against Kings XI Punjab on Thursday and remained without a wicket. Despite the struggles, mumbai indians head coach Mahela Jayewardene Backing his chief bowler.“Bumrah bowled well and that’s where we didn’t put pressure on in the powerplay,” Jayawardene told reporters after the match.“They (opposition) knew they didn’t need to take too many risks against Bumrah. We tried a few different things and he tried them too, but they performed well. I can’t put a finger (on something) and say he didn’t take wickets. “The former Sri Lanka captain also revealed that Bumrah faced some hiccups at the start of IPL 2026 but has recovered well since then.“I think initially it was because he had some hiccups in the World Cup,” he said of Bumrah’s inconsistent rhythm.

“We’re looking to get him to improve over the last few games and his speed has improved. We’ve thought about all that so he’s very comfortable. Sometimes, you need a little bit of luck as well.“(Bumrah) initially bowled some very good balls to Shreyas (Iyer) but was not lucky enough. Once he starts taking wickets, he may not be able to stop him from doing so,” Jayawardene added.However, the coach admitted that Mumbai Indians’ bowling unit lacked energy this season.After posting a score of 195/6 in 20 overs, Mumbai Indians were unable to defend the total while Kings XI Punjab chased down 196 with 21 balls and 7 wickets.“But as a (bowling) unit, as I said before, we lack penetration into different surfaces and that’s something we need to work on and see what we need to do,” he said.Mumbai Indians currently sit ninth in the table with one win and four losses.The five-time champions will take on the Gujarat Titans on April 20.