Jasprit Bumrah scripts unwanted record; becomes first bowler to… – Jasprit Bumrah scripts unwanted record; becomes first bowler to average over 100
A Season to Forget for the Mumbai Indians Ace
The 2026 Indian Premier League season will likely be one that Mumbai Indians fans—and Jasprit Bumrah himself—will want to put behind them quickly. In a surprising statistical anomaly, Jasprit Bumrah scripts unwanted record; becomes first bowler to hold the dubious distinction of the worst bowling average in the history of the league, marking a significant departure from his usual standards of excellence.
The Statistical Breakdown
The 32-year-old pacer struggled throughout the 2026 campaign, managing to claim only four wickets. This performance represents his most challenging season since his debut era in 2015, where he took three wickets across four matches. However, the 2026 numbers are far more stark. Bumrah finished the season with a bowling average of 102.5, a figure that is unprecedented in the annals of the tournament.
To put this into perspective, the previous holder of the unwanted record was former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha, who recorded an average of 95 during the 2014 season. Other notable names on the list of historically high averages include Brett Lee, Harbhajan Singh, and Krunal Pandya, though none reached the triple-digit threshold that Bumrah has now crossed.
Contextualizing the Decline
What makes this statistic particularly jarring is that it occurred during a full season of play. Ravichandran Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel, highlighted the gravity of the situation: “Bumrah wasn’t playing today, and he has recorded the worst ever bowling average in the history of the league. This is the first time any bowler has been part of a full season of the league and averaged over 100.”
The right-arm seamer’s best figures of the year came in a 1/15 performance against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Beyond that singular highlight, the pacer found it difficult to impact games, mirroring the struggles of the Mumbai Indians franchise as a whole.
Mumbai Indians’ Collective Woes
The struggles were not limited to a single player. The Mumbai Indians finished their 2026 campaign in the ninth position, accumulating only eight points from 14 games. They narrowly avoided finishing at the very bottom of the table only by virtue of a slightly superior net run rate compared to the Lucknow Super Giants.
Ravichandran Ashwin expressed significant concern regarding the team’s structure and the performance of its senior stars. The veteran spinner remarked on the peculiar nature of the MI squad this year, noting: “Mumbai’s side felt a bit strange this year, don’t know why. They have quality players, but it will not surprise me if they struggle for one more season. Their team structure has players who aren’t at their best. If MI don’t have a good season in 2027, I won’t be surprised.”
Looking Toward 2027
As the curtains fall on this disappointing chapter, the focus shifts to whether Mumbai Indians can restructure for the coming year. For Bumrah, the objective will be to return to the clinical accuracy and lethal pace that defined his career for over a decade. While this season will be remembered for the wrong reasons, the history of the sport is full of champions who have faced adversity and bounced back. The path forward for both the player and the franchise remains uncertain, but the data suggests that significant changes are required if they are to reclaim their status as IPL contenders in 2027.
