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IPL 2026: Why is Bumrah not playing MI's final league game vs RR today?
Despite being in great form during the 2026 T20 World Cup, Bumrah had a below-par IPL 2026 season. The pacer picked up only four wickets in 13 matches, with the best bowling figures of 1/15
5 min read Last Updated : May 25 2026 | 6:11 PM IST
The five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to conclude their forgettable IPL 2026 campaign today as they host Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 69 of the season at Wankhede Stadium.
However, ahead of the match, the Mumbai-based franchise made a big change to their playing 11 as they decided to rest their star bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the game.
Despite being in great form during the 2026 T20 World Cup, Bumrah had a below-par IPL 2026 season. The pacer picked up only four wickets in 13 matches, with the best bowling figures of 1/15.
Shardul Thakur has been named as Bumrah’s replacement in the squad.
¥ Mumbai Indians will be aiming to sign off from a difficult season with a positive result in front of their home supporters. The five-time champions have struggled to maintain momentum throughout the campaign and have already been eliminated from playoff contention. With a top-four finish no longer possible, MI will now focus on restoring some pride and finishing the season strongly. Hardik Pandya’s side enter the contest after a disappointing four-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous match.
Mumbai Indians Inning
175-9 (20 ov) CRR:8.75
Batter
Dismissal
R
B
4s
6s
SR
Rohit Sharma
c D Jurel b J Archer
0
4
0
0
0
Ryan Rickelton (WK)
c V Sooryavanshi b N Burger
12
7
1
1
171.43
Naman Dhir
b J Archer
6
5
1
0
120
Surya Kumar Yadav
c & b N Burger
60
42
3
4
142.86
N. Tilak Varma
b B Sharma
3
7
0
0
42.86
Will Jacks
c D Jurel b YR Punja
33
18
3
2
183.33
Hardik Pandya (C)
c N Burger b J Archer
34
15
3
2
226.67
Corbin Bosch
c D Ferreira b YR Punja
2
4
0
0
50
Shardul Thakur
Not out
10
11
1
0
90.91
Deepak Chahar
lbw b B Sharma
8
5
0
1
160
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar
Not out
2
3
0
0
66.67
Extras
5 (b 0, Ib 0, w 4, nb 1, p 0)
Total
175 (9 wkts, 20 Ov)
Bowler
O
M
R
W
NB
ECO
Jofra Archer
4
0
17
3
0
4.25
Nandre Burger
4
0
43
2
0
10.75
Brijesh Sharma
4
0
26
2
1
6.5
Ravindra Jadeja
2
0
24
0
0
12
Yash Raj Punja
4
0
44
2
0
11
Dasun Shanaka
2
0
21
0
0
10.5
MI look to play spoilsport for RR
Notably, this is a dead-rubber game for MI as, with just eight points from 13 matches, they are sitting ninth in the points table and are already eliminated from the playoffs race.
However, they can spoil RR’s party, who have a chance to win the game today and finish in the top four with 16 points, while a loss will knock them out, leaving Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) battling it out for the last playoff spot.
Jadeja, Burger return for RR
RR, who are playing a do-or-die game today, made two changes to their playing 11 as skipper Riyan Parag announced after the toss that Ravindra Jadeja and Nandre Burger have returned in place of Lhuan-dré Pretorius and Sandeep Sharma.
IPL 2026: MI vs RR playing 11
Mumbai Indians Playing 11: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu Sharma
 "IPL 2026: Why is Bumrah not playing MI's final league game vs RR today?")
