Is Jasprit Bumrah fully fit? MI head coach breaks silence on seamer's pace-related inconsistencies in IPL 2026

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has finally broken the silence on Jasprit Bumrah's inconsistency with pace during the Indian Premier League 2026 season. The former Sri Lankan cricketer has backed the ace Indian spearhead despite his wicketless outing in the ongoing IPL season.

During the Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match on Thursday, Jasprit Bumrah encountered another wicket-less outing, conceding 41 runs in his four-over spell. MI went on to lose the match against PBKS by seven wickets.

Bumrah affected by a niggle in IPL 2026?

Coach Mahela Jayawardene has revealed that at the start of IPL 2026, Jasprit Bumrah was dealing with a niggle from the T20 World Cup. But his bowling speed has substantially increased in the past few games, suggesting that he is gaining full fitness and is comfortable on the field.

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Jayawardene went on to add that Bumrah is still bowling solid deliveries, but hasn't been lucky enough to convert them into picking wickets.

“I think initially, because he had a slight niggle, which came from the World Cup. We wanted to build him up (and) over the last few games, his speeds have gone up. We've looked at all that, so he's very comfortable. Sometimes, you need a bit of luck as well,” Mahela Jayawardene said after the match.

The MI head coach further added that once Jasprit Bumrah secures his first few wickets and regains his momentum, he would return to being an unstoppable force.

MI's struggles continue in IPL 

The ongoing season has been demanding for the Mumbai Indians. With four consecutive defeats on the trot, the five-time champions have fallen to ninth position in the points table.

Inconsistency issues have affected MI, and their ineffectiveness with the ball has been their primary concern. Jayawardene believes the bowling unit has lacked accuracy and needs work.

"As a (bowling) unit, like I said before, we've lacked that penetration in different surfaces, and that's something that we need to work (on) and see what we need to do,” the MI head coach added.

The Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians will now face the Gujarat Titans in an away fixture on Monday, April 20, 2026, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.