Mahela Jayawardene defends Jasprit Bumrah’s sluggish form; calls for 'collective effort' from Mumbai Indians bowlers
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Mahela Jayawardene defends Jasprit Bumrah’s sluggish form; calls for 'collective effort' from Mumbai Indians bowlers originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Mahela Jayawardene defends Bumrah's lean patch, says class is permanent.
- MI coach backs Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, urges patience from all quarters.
- Jayawardene calls for shared bowling responsibility rather than Bumrah alone.
MI coach Mahela Jayawardene stands firm behind Bumrah as Mumbai search for a turning point
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has come out in firm support of pacer Jasprit Bumrah, pushing back against growing concern over the fast bowler's underwhelming returns in IPL 2026 after the latest defeat against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday evening.
MI are rooted at the ninth spot of the IPL 2026 points table, and Bumrah's lack of wickets in recent outings has added fuel to an already heated debate. But Jayawardene was having none of it. He pointed out that bowling is a team function, not a one-man rescue act.
"It's not just Booms; it's a collective effort from all the bowlers. When everyone's working together and you're picking up wickets here and there, that helps Bumrah to be bit more aggressive as well rather than doing a holding job. Everyone tends to have a slow season, but class is always permanent," said Jayawardene.
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Mahela Jayawardene defends Suryakumar Yadav amid lean patch
The coach also addressed the lacklustre form of Suryakumar Yadav, who arrived at IPL 2026 carrying enormous expectations after a record-smashing 2025 campaign in which he piled up 717 runs.
India's T20 World Cup captain has managed only 183 runs across nine games this season, a far cry from the mayhem he caused just twelve months ago. Jayawardene, though, refused to treat it as a crisis.
"I don't think his output is down; if he gets a few scores together, I think he'll find that rhythm. He played really well today for that period, really took on the bowlers in that phase. I think another couple of overs, he could have been off for a really good score. Sometimes when things are not going your way it doesn't fall in place," the head coach said.
"I think it was a pretty good shot that went straight to the fielder. He's definitely up for it, I think he's in a good space, it's just that it hasn't worked like the amount of times he's got caught on the boundary this season with some of those shots. It's just a matter of time, but I think he himself is disappointed, but just have to keep on working harder."
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The Cricket News Opinion: Give Bumrah room to breathe
Bumrah will always be under the microscope; that is the price of being the best. But loading the outcome of an entire bowling unit onto his shoulders is neither fair nor smart.
Jayawardene's call for shared responsibility is not just good man-management; it is plain cricketing sense. When the other bowlers do their bit, Bumrah can hunt. Right now, he is babysitting. Fix the collective, and Bumrah will take care of himself.
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