Former Indian legend Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble shared strong opinions on Mumbai Indians' disappointing campaign so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, pointing to the team's over-dependence on Jasprit Bumrah and a lack of confidence within the team.
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians, who have built a reputation for bouncing back after poor starts over the last few years, look far from their best this season. The team has struggled collectively, with neither the batting nor the bowling unit performing consistently.
Former MI captain Harbhajan Singh believes that MI's bowling attack has become too dependent on Bumrah, with the rest of the bowlers failing to support the premier pacer.
“Jasprit Bumrah is a bowler who can change the course of the match at any time. But it is not right to trust him too much. I think the other bowlers in the team, like Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar and Hardik Pandya, all have low confidence,” Harbhajan said on Geostar.
The former spinner also described Mumbai's spin department as one of the major weak points of the team.
He further said, “Mumbai Indians have been very dependent on Bumrah since he came into the team, but right now they are relying on him too much. Someone else needs to take wickets. Spinners are also a matter of concern. I think the biggest weakness of this team is the lack of quality local spinners. There used to be some good Indian spinners in the past, but there are none at the moment and that is a big gap in the team.”
Harbhajan, who spent several successful years with the franchise, admitted that the current body language of the team is surprising and unlike anything he saw during his time with MI.
He further added, “Mumbai Indians' body language, which plays a big role, is something I have never seen before. I have been a part of this team for almost 10 years. Even when we were losing, like in the season where we lost five in a row, our body language was never flat, the desire to fight back was always there.”
Meanwhile, Anil Kumble expressed similar concerns about Mumbai's overall performance and said that the batting lineup has failed to compensate for the struggles of the bowlers.
“Jasprit Bumrah is the number one bowler not only for Mumbai Indians but for any team, and naturally, teams will depend on him. But when your bowlers are not performing well, your other skill set, the batting, has to compensate a bit, and that is not happening for Mumbai Indians,” Kumble said in the same show.
The former India captain also pointed to the lack of intent and confidence in MI's middle order.
Kumble claimed, “There seems to be a lack of confidence, especially in the middle order. If you don't show intent and fearlessness in this batting order, where will you show it?”
Despite MI's disappointing performance, Kumble still backed the franchise's ability to bounce back, while admitting that the lopsided nature of their defeats this season has been the biggest concern.
“If any team can come back from a situation like this, it is them, they have done so in the past. But I think the manner of these defeats is the major concern. Earlier, when they had a slow start to the season, they would still struggle and lose close games, but this time, they are losing easily, and that is worrying,” he concluded.
After the defeat, the Hardik Pandya-led team is officially out of IPL 2026 Royal Challengers Bangalore On 10th May in Raipur.
Get every cricket update! Follow us: :
Leave a Reply