Former South Africa captain, and a legendary batter of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) warned the Mumbai Indians (MI) about one of their experienced pacers. Ahead of the IPL 2026, the five-time league winners might be confident enough to claim their sixth title, but Villiers gave them a reality check with his key assessments on their bowling attack.
The bowling attack of the former champions is looking strong enough for another title shot as Jasprit Bumrah is in form, and the team will expect to see the pace spearhead to carry the same rhythm that he exhibited in the T20 World Cup 2026.
For the pace bowling duties, Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya could trust Bumrah and New Zealand star Trent Boult. Boult is a proven bowler across all formats, but can he deliver the best in the 2026 campaign for the Mumbai Indians? AB de Villiers has a plethora of doubts.
According to Villiers' observation, the New Zealand pacer has way past his prime and lost the edge. The former batter compared Boult's decreasing pace with RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. For Villiers, Boult has lost a yard like the Indian pacer.
The one worry for me is Trent Boult: AB de Villiers
"The one worry for me is Trent Boult. It's similar to a Bhuvi situation, where he has lost a yard. He is not as spicy as he was from 2018 to 2020. He seems to be more expensive over the last while that I have watched him play. MI probably feels they have a lot of insurance there, but maybe it's a false sense of security. It could be an area some of the opposition batters will target," the former international cricketer explained on his YouTube channel.
The Kiwi pacer did a decent job for MI in IPL 2025
The Kiwi pacer made a comeback in the team last season to pair up with Jasprit Bumrah. Boult was a bit expensive, especially during the initial stage of the IPL 2025. In the latter part of the session, as the matches progressed, the left-handed pacer proved effective in taking wickets.
In 16 matches for the Mumbai Indians, the seamer took 22 wickets, including a best of 4/22, for an economy rate of 8.96. The franchise bought Trent Boult for INR 12.50 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction.
For MI Cape Town, Trent Boult proved expensive in the previous season as he conceded runs at an economy rate of 9.82, which was not satisfying for a bowler of his calibre. In the 10 SA20 2025-26; campaign, he managed to take only 8 wickets, while in the previous season of the tournament, Boult snatched 11 wickets in 11 games, and the economy rate was less than seven.
So, what AB de Villiers observed and explained, has a valid ground to talk about. Mumbai Indians team management might have also noticed the recent below-par stats of the bowler.
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