Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has raised concerns regarding Arshdeep Singh’s impact amid the ongoing IPL 2026. Pathan highlighted that the left-arm seamer has gone wicketless in the Powerplay overs in the last 10 games.
Singh has scalped two wickets in four matches at an average of 74.50 and an economy rate of 10.64 in IPL 2026. Thus, he hasn’t been at his absolute best in the ongoing tournament.
Meanwhile, Singh took nine wickets in eight matches of the T20 World Cup 2026 at an average of 28.22 and economy rate of 8.46.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Arshdeep Singh, playing for Punjab, has now gone 10 games without taking a wicket in the powerplay. In the last match he took a total of two wickets. But overall, in this league, it has been 10 matches; if we combine last year and this year, he has not taken a wicket in the powerplay. This is definitely a matter of concern.”
Pathan reckons Mumbai’s humidity can assist the fast bowlers in getting swing movement and thus Arshdeep has a good opportunity to get back into form.
“It could become comparatively easier when left-handed batters come in because for right-handed batters, his inswing is finishing outside the leg stump. On Mumbai’s pitch, there is a bit of pace and swing, and the conditions are quite humid. The temperature is changing and it is very hot, meaning there is a lot of humidity. In humid conditions, the new ball tends to swing more, so Arshdeep might get some advantage from that and it could help build his confidence. I will be keeping an eye on that.”
Pathan added that PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer is going to hold the key and if Mumbai Indians can dismiss the right-hander, they would break the backbone of PBKS’ line-up. The former swing bowler reckons Iyer’s matchup against Jasprit Bumrah will be crucial.
“Against Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer has a strike rate of 130 and has been dismissed only once. It means he has played well, and even when he plays carefully, he manages it well. But it looks like Shreyas Iyer is full of confidence. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah seems to be searching for a bit of form. But you can never count Jasprit Bumrah out.
“So this matchup will be very important. From Mumbai’s side, keeping an over for Shreyas will be crucial because if you dismiss Shreyas Iyer, you break the backbone of Punjab. So this matchup is something I would definitely want to watch, and Mumbai should definitely keep one over of Bumrah specifically for Shreyas Iyer,” he added.
MI will host PBKS on Thursday.
