Jasprit Bumrah Virat Kohli. Image Credits: AFP
Mumbai Indians (MI) rested Jasprit Bumrah for their final IPL 2026 league-stage match. They faced Rajasthan Royals (RR) on May 24, 2026, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in a day match. Bumrah, who spearheaded the MI bowling unit, finished the IPL 19 season with his worst ever season since 2015.
Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals, who needed to win the match to qualify for the playoffs of the IPL 2026.
Notably, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will play in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2026 on May 26, while Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who are in the third spot, will play in the Eliminator on May 27.
No Jasprit Bumrah for the MI v RR game in Wankhede
In the IPL, Jasprit Bumrah has long been the Mumbai Indians' mainstay. With 187 wickets in 158 games since making his debut in 2013, the right-arm fast bowler is one of the top wicket-takers in the competition.
The Mumbai Indians' season-ending league game on Sunday afternoon did not feature Bumrah. The top pacer was rested for the match against the Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, as Captain Hardik Pandya announced at the toss.
“Jassi is resting, and Deepak is in," Pandya said after he won the toss and opted to field. Shardul Thakur replaced Bumrah in the playing XI.
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Jasprit Bumrah’s poor record in IPL 2026
Despite being an all-time great in the Indian Premier League and taking nearly 200 wickets in the tournament, Bumrah had a torrid time in the IPL 2026. The pacer failed to take a single wicket in the first six games he played for the franchise this season and finished with just 4 scalps to his name in 13 games.
His economy rate of 8.36 this season is still strong, but the wickets have virtually stopped coming in; his average of 102.50 is the lowest of his 13 seasons. Notably, Jasprit Bumrah had finished with single-digit wickets in the first three seasons of the IPL with MI, taking 3 wickets in IPL 2013, 5 wickets in IPL 2014, and 3 wickets in IPL 2015.
Since then, he has picked up more than 15 wickets in every season till 2026, with 27 wickets in IPL 2020 being his best; that also helped MI win their fifth IPL title.
Conclusion: Possible reason behind Jasprit Bumrah’s poor performance
Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene had revealed that Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t at his best as he had played the T20 World Cup 2026 with a niggle and hence was not able to find his rhythm and execute plans during the IPL 2026.
It seems more like Jasprit Bumrah had suffered not only from the mental stress of the niggle but also from the wear and tear he had suffered during the T20 World Cup 2026 for India. Given his already precarious situation with his back and his importance for the Indian team, Bumrah’s appearance in the IPL 2026 itself was a huge surprise.
He should’ve rested for a couple of games more instead of diving right into the IPL 2026, knowing he had trouble with his rhythm and even had trouble with his run-up, bowling seven no-balls, the most by a bowler this season.
It will be great to see Bumrah having a long break, as he was not picked for the Afghanistan Test or the ODI series and is set to be back in India colors for the England ODI series, as revealed by BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
