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Former South Africa fast-bowling legend Dale Steyn backed Jasprit Bumrah despite the Indian pacer enduring one of the toughest campaigns of his T20 career in the Indian Premier League 2026.
The Mumbai Indians speedster struggled throughout the season and eventually finished IPL 2026 with just four wickets in 13 matches before being rested for MI’s final league-stage clash against Rajasthan Royals.
However, Steyn made it clear that one poor tournament does not define Bumrah’s quality and even predicted that the Indian pacer could bounce back strongly enough to win the Purple Cap next season.
Dale Steyn backs Jasprit Bumrah despite disappointing IPL 2026
Speaking on AB de Villiers’ YouTube channel, Steyn reminded fans that Bumrah had played a crucial role in India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph just a couple of months before IPL 2026.
The former South African pacer said it was unfair to judge Bumrah solely on one difficult IPL campaign.
"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."
Steyn also pointed out that several top batters failed to perform consistently during the tournament as well.
"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."
The former Proteas speedster added that Jasprit Bumrah’s struggles simply proved that even elite players are human and expressed confidence that the MI pacer would return stronger next year.
"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."
Bumrah endured one of the toughest T20 seasons of his career
Bumrah’s IPL 2026 numbers came as a massive surprise considering the form he displayed during India’s successful ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year.
The Mumbai Indians pacer finished the season with just four wickets in 13 matches and recorded a bowling average of 102.50.
The figure reportedly became the highest bowling average ever recorded by a bowler in T20 history among those who bowled at least 40 overs in a single tournament.
Also Read: Hardik Pandya’s cryptic post after Mumbai Indians’ disappointing IPL 2026 sparks fresh speculation
Bumrah’s struggles also reflected in Mumbai Indians’ overall disappointing season as the five-time champions finished ninth on the points table after winning only four matches throughout IPL 2026.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, Jasprit Bumrah was also rested from India’s upcoming home series against the Afghanistan national cricket team.
The Indian team management reportedly took the decision to ensure the star pacer remains fully fit ahead of a busy international calendar later this year.
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