IPL 2026: ‘Jasprit Bumrah being wicketless is a problem for them’ – Irfan Pathan flags concern over pacer’s form

Irfan Pathan highlighted possible reasons behind Jasprit Bumrah’s wicketless run in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026. The right-arm pacer has failed to claim a single wicket in five matches and finished with a wicketless spell, conceding 41 runs at the Wankhede Stadium against Punjab Kings.

Pathan feels Bumrah needs to change the length of his slower deliveries. He suggested that the pacer has been bowling too short and has also not consistently hit high speeds. Mumbai Indians lost the game by seven wickets against Punjab Kings on April 16.

“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.

Pathan reserved high praise for Shreyas Iyer’s leadership and batting. Iyer scored 66 off 35 balls and guided his team to chase down a target of 196 in just 16.3 overs. Pathan pointed out that the batter anticipated the short-pitched delivery from Jasprit Bumrah and dispatched it for a maximum.

“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 highlighted that wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh was the top performer with the bat. He scored 80 runs off 39 balls, including two sixes and 11 fours, and Pathan pointed out that he has shown great improvement and has transitioned into a more mature player.

“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.