Jayawardene has made no bones about why the spearhead’s numbers have been underwhelming this year. He ties the low wicket count to a few factors. It is an apt time for the head coach to set the record straight as the franchise, already out of the running, gets ready to host Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede on May 22nd.
Bumrah may have only four to his name in 13 outings, but he hasn’t given away runs. His 8.36 is the top mark in the team and says you are in control even if you aren’t getting through. Jayawardene will tell you batters have been wary of him, and that is made worse by MI not being able to make them work from the other side.
Why wickets dried up
The coach won’t point to one thing and call it a day. He sees it as a matter of rebuilding after a hard run of international cricket. There was a bit of a niggle from the T20 World Cup, so they let him come back into it gently. That took some of the sting out of his execution and the pace before he was back to where he should be.
You can see in the last couple of matches he is back to full speed. But when you are putting something right in the middle of a season, it is hard to be as precise as you like, particularly if the opposition is just going to stand off and let you have your way.
It comes down to a few things, according to Jayawardene:
– A bit of an issue from the T20 World Cup
– Easing in over the first four or five games
– Not quite as fast off the mark
– Some of the edge in his delivery gone for a while
– Batters making him work for it
– Not enough pressure coming from the other end
Pressure vacuum around the spearhead
There is a pattern to it, the coach concedes. Teams don’t like to take a chance on Bumrah because MI haven't been on top of things in other areas. In the big moments, the weight didn’t bear down and batters could sit in and pick their spots. You get the control but not the wickets for it.
As for his health, Jayawardene is clear: there is nothing to it. Bumrah is 100 per cent and back to his usual self. The timing is the problem. With the season done and dusted for MI, a late upturn doesn’t change much. But he has no doubt the senior bowler will be fine.
A season MI could not galvanise
You could say the unit never really gelled. After the early defeats, some of the confidence went. We had some open talks in the room, but the same old errors would come back. I’ll be the first to say we were outplayed in some of them and at times we weren’t up to what we thought we should be.
The standings don’t lie. At nine with eight points and a -0.510 NRR, having won four in 13, the five-time title holders are in the doldrums. So on the 22nd at Wankhede it is a matter of pride, to put in a show and move on.
Beyond Bumrah: selection calls and form dips
Then there is the question of who is in the side and in form. Making Rohit an Impact Sub was a no-brainer for us. He is fit as a fiddle; we did it to have our options when we are bowling. We have been a little careful with him in the game or two after he came back from a hamstring, but that is all.
Suryakumar Yadav has not been the force he was in the 2025 playoffs. 210 runs in 12 is not what you want. But it is a case of confidence and a rough patch. Even the top order has to deal with those periods.
What comes next for Bumrah and MI
With Bumrah, the signs are there. The pace is back, the overs are in hand and I am not in any doubt about him. The wickets will come when we can put the heat on from both sides.
For the rest of the team, the off-season is for thinking. If we are to be in a position to start again in 2027, we have to find some of the consistency and togetherness we have been without.
