India, May 25 -- Jasprit Bumrah's poor IPL 2026 season has drawn a strong defence from Dale Steyn, with the South African great insisting that one bad tournament cannot define a bowler who has recently dominated on the world stage.

Bumrah endured a rare off-season for the Mumbai Indians, finishing with only four wickets in 13 matches. But Steyn backed him to recover sharply and even tipped him to be in the Purple Cap race next year.

Speaking on AB de Villiers' YouTube channel, Steyn said Bumrah's lean IPL run should be viewed in context, especially after his recent success in international cricket.

"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 o...