Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s high-scoring 18-run win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2026 also brought Jasprit Bumrah’s unusual wicketless run back into focus, with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stepping in to defend the star pacer. Bumrah went wicketless once again as MI conceded 240/4 and later fell short at 222/5 despite a brilliant unbeaten 71 from Sherfane Rutherford. It marked another frustrating outing for the MI spearhead, whose struggles have now stretched across two IPL seasons. In fact, Bumrah’s last five IPL bowling figures underline the rare drought. He returned 0/40 (4) vs PBKS in Ahmedabad, 0/35 (4) vs KKR at Wankhede, 0/21 (4) vs DC in Delhi, 0/32 (3) vs RR in Guwahati, and 0/35 (4) vs RCB at Wankhede. Overall, he has now gone 122 balls without a wicket, the longest wicketless streak of his IPL career. However, Ravichandran Ashwin pushed back against criticism of Bumrah, stressing that focusing only on wickets does not reflect his real impact on the game. Taking to X, he warned that such narratives can be misleading for teams. “The lack-of-wickets narrative for Bumrah can hamper the team’s cause. Him nailing yorkers and choking the opposition for every single run is even more important than him looking to get wickets, especially at venues like the Wankhede,” Ashwin said.
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He further explained the tactical reality of T20 bowling, adding, “When you can’t bowl overs on the trot, your wicket-taking ability depends on your partners who hand the over to you. We have had so many years of T20 cricket now, and bowling in partnerships as a defensive group is still a seed in the minds of bowling units,” Ashwin added. In the match context, RCB’s batting firepower proved decisive once again, with Phil Salt (78), Virat Kohli (50) and Rajat Patidar (53 off 20) powering them to 240/4 before their bowlers held their nerve in the final overs despite Rutherford’s late assault. Ashwin’s comments added a wider perspective to Bumrah’s performance, highlighting that his control and economy in high-scoring conditions remain as valuable as wickets, even as MI continue to struggle in their recent run of matches.
