The lead pacer is still recovering from a back injury he suffered in January
Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss Mumbai Indians’ (MI) first three games and possibly a few more in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Bumrah will join MI in early April which means he will be missing the games against Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Bumrah has been out of action since early January due to a stress-related back injury he suffered during the final Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. The 2024 T20 World Cup winner had missed the Champions Trophy 2025 due to the same reason as India went on to win the title by defeating New Zealand in the final.
Bumrah has been out of action since early January due to a stress-related back injury he suffered during the final Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. The 2024 T20 World Cup winner had missed the Champions Trophy 2025 due to the same reason as India went on to win the title by defeating New Zealand in the final.
Ahead of the Champions Trophy squad announcement, India’s selectors’ chief Ajit Agarkar had said that Bumrah has been advised to rest by the medical staff for five weeks. Despite the estimate for his return, the report couldn’t confirm the exact return date of Bumrah.
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Other pacers such as former New Zealand speedster Shane Bond had warned about burdening the pacer.
“He’s too valuable for the next World Cup and stuff. So you’d be looking at five Tests in England, I wouldn’t want to be playing him in any more than two in a row. Coming out of the back end of the IPL into a Test match is going to be a huge risk. And so how do they manage that is going to be key,” Bond told ESPNCricinfo, while suggesting that a back injury in the same place could be a career-ender for the speedster.
Pace-bowling legend Glenn McGrath also felt that Indian management should be cautious not to rush Bumrah into action.
“He is a bowler you’ve got to manage. You’ve got to look after him. Because of the amount of stress he puts on his body every ball compared to the other bowlers is different,” McGrath told reporters in Chennai on Thursday.
Mumbai Indians, led by Hardik Pandya, will be hoping for a better IPL in 2025 after finishing bottom of the table last year. They will open their campaign against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings on March 23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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