'He's human': Dale Steyn makes big statement on Jasprit Bumrah's poor IPL 2026 season

NEW DELHI: Known for giving batters a tough time, rattling stumps and troubling them with toe-crushing yorkers, Jasprit Bumrah did not have the best of campaigns with the ball in Indian Premier League 2026 as he managed to claim just four wickets in the tournament.

However, former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn backed Bumrah despite his disappointing season and said the Indian speedster would return strongly next year and could even win the Purple Cap.



Steyn also reminded critics that Bumrah had played a crucial role in India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph just a couple of months earlier.

"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," Steyn said on AB de Villiers' YouTube channel.

"He'll come back strong and next season he'll probably win the Purple Cap next season," Steyn said.

Bumrah also missed Mumbai Indians' last league match, which the five-time champions lost by 30 runs.

Mumbai Indians ended their IPL 2026 campaign in ninth place on the points table. They managed just four wins and suffered 10 defeats in 14 matches.

Bumrah has also been rested for India’s upcoming home series against the Afghanistan national cricket team, with the team management aiming to ensure he returns fully fit ahead of a demanding international calendar later this year.

Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026

Matches: 14Wins: 4Losses: 10Points: 8Net Run Rate: -0.584Final Position: 9th (Eliminated)


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