Former India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy has emphasized the need for a candid discussion between the Mumbai Indians’ management and pacer Jasprit Bumrah due to his lackluster performance in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. Bumrah’s challenges persisted during the match against Lucknow Super Giants, where he ended with figures of 0/45, marking his seventh wicketless outing this season.
“We are in that space that the management, or coach, or even captain – Surya is pretty close to him, he is the vice-captain of the squad – and Rohit is around, they can probably honestly sit and have a chat. Ask him: ‘Are you feeling 100% from within?’ ‘Do you want to take a break for a game or so?’ So that he comes back fresh. That is something you can probably ask him and expect him to answer you honestly,” Veda expressed on ESPNcricinfo.
Despite Bumrah’s struggles, the Mumbai Indians clinched a six-wicket victory by successfully chasing down 229 runs in 18.4 overs, propelled by a 143-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (84) and Ryan Rickelton (83). Former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar also raised similar concerns, hinting that the team management might need to make decisions based on their priorities for the remainder of the tournament.
“It also boils down to what the coach and the management is thinking. I mean, from a coaching perspective or from a management perspective, if MI are okay to play without Bumrah, if MI are okay to maybe finish the season in the lower ranks, so to say, as far as the point stable is concerned, if that is the case, then I think Bumrah may probably in all likelihood take that to call of, you know, not playing the rest of the games,” Bangar remarked.
Bumrah’s performance in the IPL 2026 has been subpar, with only three wickets in ten matches and an economy rate exceeding 8 runs per over.
