'His powerplay numbers are getting worse' - Irfan Pathan voices concerns over star bowler after MI vs RCB

Published - 13 Apr 2026, 18:25 IST | Updated - 13 Apr 2026, 19:22 IST

Irfan Pathan opined that Trent Boult has to improve his bowling in the powerplay and try to pick up wickets for the Mumbai Indians. His assessment came after the Mumbai Indians lost to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 23 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12.

Boult went wicketless in the first two games he played for Mumbai this season in the IPL. On Sunday, he did pick up the wicket of Jitesh Sharma but went for 50 runs in his four overs.

“Even with the new ball, Trent Boult is not getting the same swing or zip that he used to. He is not picking up wickets. Yes, the pitch is flat and it is not easy, but Trent Boult is Trent Boult, he has that ability. However, this trend has been continuing for some time now, and his numbers in the powerplay are getting worse. So improving bowling in the powerplay is crucial," Pathan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Pathan noted that Mumbai Indians are mainly struggling in the bowling department. He pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah has failed to pick up a wicket after playing four games in IPL 2026.

“What is Mumbai’s real problem? Their biggest issue right now is bowling, and I never thought I would be saying this. Jasprit Bumrah has not taken a wicket in four matches so far. This had happened once before in 2014 as well, when he went without wickets for a while. But the fact that Bumrah is not getting wickets is a problem, and it weakens Mumbai’s bowling unit. He needs to start taking wickets," he added.

Mumbai Indians have only won one out of their four matches in IPL 2026. They are languishing at No. 8 on the points table.

Talking about leg-spinner Mayank Markande, Pathan said that he has not been very impressive, failing to make the kind of impact the MI management would have hoped for when he was traded in ahead of the season from the Kolkata Knight Riders.

“Then in the spin department, there is Mayank Markande. It seemed that when he was brought in, he would make a bigger impact and bowl well, but so far nothing positive has been seen," Pathan opined.

Tim David gets punished for disobeying umpire, Hardik fined

While Pathan praised Mitchell Santner for his ability to bowl defensively, he said that Mumbai Indians need someone who can take wickets and put the opposition teams under pressure.

“Santner is an experienced bowler, and we saw how he dismissed Patidar when he was set. So he is a very good defensive bowler. But you cannot expect him to pick up four wickets regularly on these kinds of pitches. He is a good and experienced bowler, but what you need in spin is dominance. Do they have the dominance of someone like Rashid Khan? No," the cricketer-turned-expert said.

“You expect a spinner to come in and deceive the opposition, but that is missing. With Sunil Narine, you can always rely on his four overs like a bank, but that kind of assurance is not there here. That is a bit of a problem. And if Bumrah is not taking wickets, it becomes an even bigger issue, especially when wickets are not coming from the other end either,” he added.