Raj Bawa: Kumble, Harbhajan flag MI's Bumrah overreliance
Mumbai Indians' slide in TATA IPL 2026 has put raj bawa in sharp focus, with Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh saying the five-time champions are leaning too heavily on Jasprit Bumrah. The team has not turned things around in the second half, and that leaves their meeting with Royal Challengers Bengaluru today at 7:30 PM carrying real weight.
Harbhajan Singh on Mumbai spin
Harbhajan pointed straight at the bowling balance. He said Mumbai depend too much on Bumrah, then named Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar and Hardik Pandya as low on confidence. He added that the side's biggest weakness is the lack of quality local spinners.
"Spinners, too, are a concern. I think the biggest weakness of this side is the lack of quality local spinners."
He also said Mumbai once had good Indian spinners but now face a major gap, and that the team's confidence is missing. That was the clearest line in the discussion, because the problem was not framed as one bad spell or one off day. It was framed as a pattern running through the attack.
Kumble sees no batting cover
Kumble backed the idea that Bumrah still sits alone at the top of the bowling unit. He said Bumrah remains the number one bowler, but Mumbai's batting has not covered for poor bowling and there is a clear lack of confidence in the middle order.
He also said Mumbai Indians are getting beaten comfortably now, which is a different kind of pressure than a narrow run of losses. The margin has widened while the response has not.
"If any team can come back from a situation like this, it is them."
Kumble's point left Mumbai with two competing truths. The franchise has the history to recover, but the current version has not found the bowling support, batting cover or body language to match that reputation. Harbhajan said he remembered a year when Mumbai lost five in a row yet still had more fight, a contrast that underlined how flat this campaign has looked.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru visit
The immediate test is Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Revenge Week, with the TATA IPL 2026 match scheduled for today at 7:30 PM. The fixture will be shown live on JioHotstar and the Star Sports Network, and Mumbai now face it with the same issues hanging over them: Bumrah carrying too much, the spin group under strain, and a middle order still searching for control.
For Mumbai, the next step is simple to state and hard to execute. They need someone other than Bumrah to change the bowling picture before the season slips away for good.
