3 matches, 11 overs and 0 wickets… Has Bumrah become the weakness of Mumbai Indians? Coach said- don’t get entangled in data and figures

New Delhi. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will host defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore at their home ground Wankhede Stadium on Sunday evening. The Mumbai team is under pressure before this high-voltage match of IPL 2026. Mumbai, which started the season with a win against Kolkata Knight Riders, has suffered a crushing defeat in the last two matches, due to which the team has slipped to the bottom of the points table. But more than the match itself, the form of the team’s main fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is being discussed more than the match itself. When Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard addressed the media, sharp questions were asked on Bumrah’s performance and the team’s strategies.

Jasprit Bumrah has played all three matches this season and has bowled the most for the team, but the wickets column against his name is still empty. After bowling 11 overs in 3 matches, Bumrah has given 88 runs and has not taken a single wicket. When Pollard was asked if this was a matter of concern for Mumbai, he said bluntly, ‘Sometimes defense is the best form of attack. We are not paying too much attention to Jasprit Bumrah not taking wickets. There is no worry about Bumrah in our camp. You guys go into the details of data, pace and wickets, but we don’t look at cricket from that perspective.

A drop in momentum or a calculated strategy?
There was some decline in Bumrah’s pace during the 27-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals. On this, Pollard argued that it is not right to fight fire with fire every time. He said, ‘If the ball is going out of the field at a speed of 100 knots, then you do not want to match power with power every time. You need to try something different. It is clear from Pollard’s statement that the team management is also working on the strategy of using Bumrah as a ‘container’ (run stopper).

Middle order headache and Tilak Verma’s form
Tilak Verma was not scoring runs from his bat, due to which it was being speculated whether the change in his batting position (number) was the reason for this. Pollard rejected these claims and said that flexibility is most important in modern cricket. He made it clear that the place of every player can be changed. We are not going to limit anyone to a specific number. What the team needs at that time is most important. We can also argue that Suryakumar Yadav has batted at number three for us and India and has performed well. Therefore, we are not focusing on the position but on the need of the match.