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"He had a bad tournament": Dale Steyn backs pace ace Bumrah
Former South African pace great Dale Steyn has backed Jasprit Bumrah after the Indian speedster endured a forgettable campaign in the 2026 edition of the IPL. Bumrah went through a rare torrid form, but Steyn insisted that one difficult tournament cannot erase the impact Bumrah has had on world cricket over the years.
Bumrah was far from his usual best during the tournament, managing only four wickets from 13 appearances and was also rested for the franchise’s final league-stage clash against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Bumrah finished the season with a bowling average of 102.50.
However, Steyn believes critics are being too harsh on the Indian star, reminding everyone that Bumrah was instrumental in India’s Men’s T20 World Cup victory. Steyn also expressed confidence that Bumrah would bounce back strongly in the future. In fact, the South African pacer backed the Indian pacer to return next season with renewed hunger.
“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. There have been good batters at this IPL that haven't hit the ground running. 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,” Steyn said on AB de Villiers' YouTube channel.
Notably, the Indian team management has opted to leave the fast bowler out of the upcoming home series against Afghanistan, with selectors keen to manage his workload carefully ahead of a packed international schedule later this year. Meanwhile, India are set to host Afghanistan in a one-off Test and three ODIs next month.
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