New Delhi [India], May 25 (ANI): Former South Africa ace seamer Dale Steyn backed Jasprit Bumrah despite his disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign, reminding critics that the Indian pacer had played a crucial role in India's ICC Men's T20 World Cup triumph just a couple of months earlier.

Steyn said a poor IPL season does not define Bumrah's quality, adding that even top batters struggled during the tournament. He believes the lean run only proves Bumrah is human and expressed confidence that the fast bowler will return stronger next season, even believes he could win the Purple Cap.

Bumrah endured one of the toughest seasons of his T20 career in IPL 2026. The Mumbai Indians pacer was rested for the team's final league game against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, finishing the season with just four wickets in 13 matches.

'He won a World Cup just a month and a half, two months ago, and he was probably one of the bowlers of the tournament. So you can't focus on him primarily. He had a bad tournament (IPL). There have been good batters at this IPL that haven't hit the ground running. Okay. So it shows that he's human. He'll come back strong and next season he'll probably win the Purple Cap next season,' Steyn said on AB de Villiers YouTube channel.

Bumrah ended the season with a bowling average of 102.50, the highest ever recorded by a bowler in T20 history among those who bowled at least 40 overs in a single tournament.

The underwhelming campaign came as a major surprise, especially after Bumrah's outstanding run in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where he played a major role in guiding the India team to the title.

Bumrah has also been rested for India's upcoming home series against the Afghanistan cricket team, with the team management aiming to ensure he returns fully fit ahead of a demanding international calendar later this year. (ANI)