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Both Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have endured forgettable campaigns with Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026 so far.
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya, left, Jasprit Bumrah, right, and Suryakumar Yadav during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Mumbai on Wednesday, 29 April 2026. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)(PTI)Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has defended Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah amid his team's poor run of form in IPL 2026.
Mumbai Indians find themselves in ninth place in the IPL 2026 standings with just four points from eight matches. The Hardik Pandya-led side next take on sixth-placed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on Saturday.
Both Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have been MI's go-to players in the past seasons, but this season, they have looked far from their best.
SKY has scored just 162 runs from eight matches at a strike-rate of 140.86, whereas the Gujarat pacer has taken just two wickets from eight matches.
He went wicketless for the first five matches, but took a wicket each in his next two matches. However, in their latest match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bumrah endured figures of 0/54 from four overs.
Mahela Jayawardene on SKY and Jasprit Bumrah
"With Surya or Boom, like I said, these are match-winners and they are human. They will go through these things. Their character is that they keep coming back and fighting," the former Sri Lanka cricketer told reporters at the pre-match press conference in Chennai ahead of the CSK match.
"The conversations we have are about not putting too much pressure on themselves, because they feel they should be able to deliver on their own. So, we just tell them it is fine. These things happen. Let's keep trying," he added.
The former Sri Lanka captain said that Suryakumar Yadav's work ethic and the hard work that he puts in at the nets is second to none.
"In practice, he is batting as well as anybody. Even when you go into matches, he is hitting the ball well. But the way he has gotten out a few times has been unfortunate. He hits a shot and gets caught on the boundary line. A couple of times he got some good balls and got out," he said.
"As a batsman myself, I have gone through those kinds of situations where you ask, 'Why is it happening to me?' But it does happen," he added.
Jayawardene is hopeful of both SKY and Bumrah returning to form soon. "If you look at Surya for us, he has had three or four brilliant years, not just last year. People like Surya and Bumrah are human. They will have a little run that does not go their way. But they know that. They will come out with a smile and play the same way they know how to play," he said.
Mahela Jayawardene gives update on Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Mumbai on 12 April. He retired hurt for 19 runs from 13 balls.
Jayawardene said that the former skipper is progressing well but a call on his participation will be taken on Saturday. "He has progressed well, working really hard to get back. We will make a decision tomorrow," the 48-year-old said.
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