The ongoing season of the Indian Premier League has so far been a forgettable campaign for Mumbai Indians, with the five-time champions having lost six of their first eight games. They have struggled to find rhythm, managing only two victories. A major concern for them has been the underperformance of key players, none more surprising than the struggles of Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has had an unusually difficult campaign, with only two wickets so far. In Mumbai’s recent clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, he conceded 54 runs, further complicating the problems for MI. Addressing the press, Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard was candid in his admission of Bumrah's struggle. 

"When a cricketer is not doing well, we look at every single aspect as to why he's not doing well. And there's no difference when it comes to Jasprit Bumrah. He has done this for years. And as a human being, he is entitled as well to make mistakes, not have a good day, not have a good season, or not have a good couple of months. And I just feel that we need to sometimes remember the good things that he has done. Yes, we try to live in the present, and he hasn't been up to the mark, but he's still been a number one bowler for Mumbai Indians and India over a period of time," Pollard said.

"So I just feel that sometimes we can cut some slack to us cricketers, because, as I always say, we are unfortunate to always be in the public eye. When normal people have jobs, and they send the wrong email, they have the opportunity to edit the words and all these things. We don't have that opportunity. So it's fair and fine – when you're not doing well, you accept certain things. And knowing the individual, I know he's going to bounce back to greater heights and take wickets. And we're again going to be singing "Bumrah, Bumrah", not only for Mumbai Indians but for India. So again, let's cut him some slack, and let's see if that might help him as well – if we see some good things written about him", Pollard said.

Pollard also admitted that the side has not been as consistent as they would have hoped.

"It has not been as consistent as we would have hoped. The results are showing. It is something you cannot shy away from. You can sit and you can try to pinpoint every little aspect of it. Collectively, we have not been good enough. We just need to be collectively better as a unit. That's as much as you can ask. You can ask them to execute better in different areas of the game," Pollrad stated.

"But we need to play that complete game of cricket to win a match. Because it is getting difficult with the way cricket is going, but what I can safely say is that in the dressing room, the guys are wanting to fight," he said.