new delhi, May 25
Former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn and ex-captain AB de Villiers have thrown their support behind Jasprit Bumrah after the India pacer endured a disappointing IPL 2026 season with Mumbai Indians. Bumrah finished the tournament with only four wickets in 13 matches and was rested for Mumbai’s final league game against Rajasthan Royals. His bowling average of 102.50 was the highest ever recorded by a bowler who delivered at least 40 overs in a single T20 tournament. Despite the poor numbers, Steyn said the difficult season does not change Bumrah’s quality or achievements. He reminded critics that Bumrah had played a major role in India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph just a couple of months earlier and was among the best bowlers of the tournament.
Steyn added that several top batters also struggled during the IPL and said Bumrah’s poor run only showed that he is human. He expressed confidence that the fast bowler would bounce back strongly next season and could even win the Purple Cap.
“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 (IPL). 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 on De Villiers’s YouTube channel.
De Villiers also described IPL 2026 as possibly the worst season of Bumrah’s career statistically, but insisted the Indian pacer remains the best bowler in the world across formats. He said one bad season cannot take away a player’s class and backed Bumrah to return stronger soon.
“Bumrah’s worst IPL of his life. I think his average is over 100 this year. I mean, there are lots of reasons for that, and I still think he’s the greatest bowler right now in all formats around the world. So that hasn’t changed. One bad performance doesn’t take the class out of a player. He’ll be back. There’s no doubt about it,” De Villiers said.
Bumrah’s difficult IPL campaign came as a surprise because he entered the tournament after an outstanding T20 World Cup performance, where he played a crucial role in helping India win the title.
