Jasprit Bumrah Returns to Mumbai Indians Ahead of IPL Clash Against RCB
Bumrah's Comeback to the Field
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 6: Jasprit Bumrah, the pace leader for the Mumbai Indians (MI), is set to make his return to bowling just in time for the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Monday.
His participation in the MI-RCB showdown at Wankhede Stadium has been confirmed by head coach Mahela Jayawardene, allowing him to take center stage, overshadowing renowned batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who will also be competing in the match.
This will mark Bumrah's first appearance since his impressive 32-wicket performance in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he had to leave the field during the final Test in Sydney due to a stress injury. This setback kept him out of India's white-ball series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy, both of which India won.
The MI team shared a slow-motion clip on their official X handle, showcasing Bumrah clean bowling a batter during practice.
In a pre-match press conference, coach Jayawardene stated, as reported by ESPNCricinfo, "He is available, he is training today and should be available [for the RCB game]. He arrived last night, had his sessions with NCA [now Centre of Excellence] to finalize that, and has been handed over to our physios. He is bowling today, so all good."
Bumrah joined the MI camp on Saturday after receiving clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) staff at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. MI has struggled with three losses in their matches so far, and his return is expected to significantly boost the team's morale, especially after relying on inexperienced players like spinner Vignesh Puthur and pacers Ashwani Kumar and Satyanarayana Raju in his absence.
Jayawardene emphasized the need to give Bumrah space upon his return, advising not to place excessive expectations on him. "Knowing Jasprit, he will be up for it. We’re very happy to have him in the camp; the experience he brings, that extra voice out there in the middle, chatting with (Trent) Boult, Deepak (Chahar), or any younger bowler, providing valuable advice is what we are looking forward to from him," he added.
Bumrah has been gradually increasing his bowling workload at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The board is taking a cautious approach to ensure he achieves full fitness before returning to competitive play, especially with the five-Test tour to England approaching in June, which will initiate India's ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
Throughout his IPL career, Bumrah has played exclusively for MI, amassing 165 wickets in 133 matches since debuting in 2013. He missed the 2023 season due to a back injury, which is the latest in a series of injuries following his back surgery in March 2023. Despite MI finishing at the bottom of the table last season, Bumrah was the franchise's leading wicket-taker, securing 20 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.80, with his best performance being 5/21.