Jasprit Bumrah’s poor IPL 2026 season has drawn a strong defence from Dale Steyn, with the South African great insisting that one bad tournament cannot define a bowler who has recently dominated on the world stage.
Bumrah endured a rare off-season for the Mumbai Indians, finishing with only four wickets in 13 matches. But Steyn backed him to recover sharply and even tipped him to be in the Purple Cap race next year.
Steyn backs Bumrah after rare IPL failure
Speaking on AB de Villiers’ YouTube channel, Steyn said Bumrah’s lean IPL run should be viewed in context, especially after his recent success in international cricket.
“He won a World Cup just a month and a half, two months ago, and he was probably one of the bowlers of the tournament. So you can’t focus on him primarily. He had a bad tournament. There have been good batters at this IPL that haven’t hit the ground running. Okay. So it shows that he’s human. He’ll come back strong and next season he’ll probably win the Purple Cap next season,” Steyn said.
The comment came after Jasprit Bumrah’s worst IPL campaign by his own elite standards. Mumbai Indians’ season also ended without the kind of bowling control they usually expect from him, and his numbers became a major talking point during a difficult campaign for the franchise.
Bumrah’s wicket tally of four in 13 matches was a sharp fall from the levels he has usually maintained for MI. His average also ballooned past the 100-mark, an unusual figure for a bowler who has built his reputation on consistency, accuracy and late-overs control.
Dale Steyn, however, refused to turn one bad IPL into a larger judgment on Bumrah’s quality. His argument was simple: even the best players have poor tournaments, and Bumrah’s recent body of work remains strong enough to absorb one failure.
That defence matters because Bumrah has long been judged differently from most bowlers. For MI and India, he is not merely expected to take wickets. He is expected to repair difficult phases, close innings, break partnerships, and protect totals. When that standard drops, the reaction is usually sharper than it would be for others.
Steyn’s backing also came from a bowler who understands the physical and mental demands of elite fast bowling. Bumrah’s workload, injury history and role across formats have often made his IPL performances part of a wider conversation on management and longevity.
For now, Steyn’s message was clear. Bumrah had a bad IPL. He has not become a bad bowler. And if the South African great’s prediction holds, the same season that triggered doubts may only become the setup for a forceful comeback.
