Synopsis
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to miss the start of IPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians as he recovers from a lower back injury sustained during the Sydney Test. His return is likely in early April, pending medical clearance.Key Takeaways
- Jasprit Bumrah is recovering from a back injury.
- He missed the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
- Expected to return by early April for Mumbai Indians.
- MI's initial matches are against CSK and GT away.
- Other pace options include Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar.
New Delhi, March 14 (NationPress) The fast-bowling ace Jasprit Bumrah is anticipated to miss the start of IPL 2025 for the five-time champions Mumbai Indians as he continues his recovery from a back injury that has sidelined him since the Sydney Test in January.
Bumrah has been healing from a stress-related injury in his lower back, incurred during the second day of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney, where he did not bowl in the second innings as Australia clinched the series 3-1.
Previously, Bumrah received the Player of the Series accolade in Australia for taking 32 wickets, but he was later ruled out of India's Champions Trophy-winning run after being named in the provisional squad. Currently, Bumrah is undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru after having undergone back surgery in 2023.
According to a report from ESPNCricinfo on Friday, Bumrah is likely to rejoin the MI squad by early April, pending medical clearance from the BCCI CoE. However, the report noted that it remains unclear precisely how many matches he would miss or if a specific return date has been established.
The first two matches of MI in IPL 2025 will be away games – against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 in Chennai, followed by a match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 29 in Ahmedabad.
MI's inaugural home game at the Wankhede Stadium will take place against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31, before they travel to Lucknow to face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 4, and then return home to host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 7.
Other fast-bowling options available to MI include Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Reece Topley, Corbin Bosch, Arjun Tendulkar, Satyanarayana Raju, and Ashwani Kumar, as well as all-rounders – captain Hardik Pandya and Raj Angad Bawa.
