MI vs RR: Jasprit Bumrah registers unwanted first in T20 history after the end of his IPL 2026 campaign

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The 69th match of the IPL 2026 season at the Wankhede Stadium witnessed a contrasting tale of two bowling titans. While Rajasthan Royals (RR) celebrated a comprehensive 30-run victory to secure their postseason tickets, Mumbai Indians (MI) concluded a dismal season rooted firmly to the bottom half of the points table. The marquee clash on Sunday, put a definitive seal on MI’s campaign, underscoring a season where nothing went according to plan for the five-time champions.

Jasprit Bumrah’s IPL 2026 campaign will go down as the most uncharacteristic stretch of his illustrious career. The premier speedster entered the tournament riding an absolute high, having just concluded a sensational T20 World Cup 2026 campaign where he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker, leading India to their third global T20 crown. Mumbai Indians banked heavily on this momentum, hoping their core of decorated international stars would snap a championship drought dating back to 2021.

Instead, the entire domestic core faltered. Bumrah cut a helpless figure across the season, managing to claim just four wickets in total. His turbulent run came to a premature end on May 20 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, where he managed a lone scalp in a losing cause. Hoping to manage his workload ahead of upcoming international commitments, the MI management decided to rest the ace quick for the final league match against Rajasthan Royals.

By sitting out the finale, Bumrah’s seasonal statistics were frozen into the history books, securing an unwanted first. The speedster finished his IPL 2026 journey with a bowling average of 102.50. This now stands as the worst bowling average recorded by any player in the entire history of T20 cricket for a single tournament or tournament edition, filtering for those who have delivered a minimum of 40 overs.

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Jofra Archer delivers match-winning all-round masterclass sending Rajasthan Royals through to IPL 2026 playoffs

With Bumrah watching from the sidelines, it was his former Mumbai teammate Jofra Archer who seized the spotlight at the Wankhede, single-handedly pulling off a masterclass to propel Rajasthan Royals into the top four. Batting first, Rajasthan posted a formidable total of 205/8 in their 20 overs. However, the true late-innings impetus came from Archer, who smashed a blistering 32 runs off just 15 deliveries, featuring a four and 3 sixes, operating at a strike rate of 213.33.

Defending 205, Archer returned to break the back of Mumbai’s batting order with a devastating opening spell. He dismissed an incoming Rohit Sharma for a four-ball duck in the very first over and followed it up by cleaning up Naman Dhir for just 6.

Despite a resilient counter-attack from Suryakumar Yadav, who compiled a stylish 60 off 42 balls, and a brief 15-ball 34 cameo from skipper Hardik Pandya, the target proved too steep. Archer returned to dismiss Pandya in the 16th over to completely derail the chase. Finishing with magnificent figures of 3/17 in his 4 overs at an economy of 4.25, Archer walked away with the Player of the Match honours as MI was restricted to 175/9, confirming Rajasthan’s playoff berth.

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