IPL 2026: ‘I’ve never seen MI like this before’- Former IPL legend stunned by Mumbai Indians' decline
Harbhajan Singh supports Jasprit Bumrah amidst a quiet IPL 2026. He points to the Mumbai Indians' bowling attack lacking confidence and relying too heavily on Bumrah. The team's overall belief and body language have also dropped significantly this season.
A leader is needed to inspire the squad and change their fortunes on the field.
Former Mumbai Indians spinner Harbhajan Singh has defended Jasprit Bumrah amid the pacer’s underwhelming IPL 2026 campaign, while also raising concerns over the team’s overall bowling unit and lack of confidence. Bumrah, widely regarded as one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, has endured an unusually quiet season by his lofty standards, managing just three wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 8. 51.
Mumbai’s campaign came to an end after their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Sunday, a result that officially knocked them out of the playoff race. Although Bumrah bowled well at the death and briefly gave MI hope during RCB’s chase, Harbhajan believes the bigger issue lies in the team’s overdependence on him and the lack of support from the rest of the attack. “Jasprit Bumrah is the kind of bowler who can change a match at any moment.
But relying too heavily on him is not the right thing to do,” Harbhajan said on JioStar. “I think the other bowlers in the side, like Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar and Hardik Pandya, are all low on confidence. The challenge in that camp is how to bring them back to the same level of confidence as the others.