When will Jasprit Bumrah be available for IPL 2025? Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene shares big update
Jasprit Bumrah suffered a back injury during the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in January and has yet to recover.
Mahela Jayawardene, the Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach, speaking at a press interaction in Mumbai on Wednesday, shared an update on the team's Jasprit Bumrah situation ahead of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League. With the fast bowler set to miss the first few matches for Mumbai, Jayawardene said it would be a "challenge," but added Bumrah "is in good spirits" as he recovers at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (formerly the National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru.
"[Bumrah] has just started his progress. We have to wait and see what their [BCCI medical team] feedback is on him," Jayawardene said. "At the moment, everything is going well. But, obviously, it is on a day-to-day basis. He is in good spirits. Not having him is a challenge. He is one of the best bowlers in the world and he has been a fantastic pro for us for many years.
"We'll have to wait or find an opportunity for someone else to step up. That's how I see it. It gives us an element of trying a few things and see how things work. The early part of the season allows us to do that."
Why will Bumrah miss MI's first few games?
The India star suffered a back injury during the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in January and has yet to recover. The stress-related back injury also caused him to miss India's Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. ESPNCricinfo reported earlier last week that Bumrah will join the Mumbai Indians squad in early April.
However, Mumbai do have their backup ready in the pace department, comprising Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Reece Topley and Corbin Bosch (replacement for Lizaad Williams). They also have captain Hardik Pandya, the allrounder, and the uncapped Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar and Raj Angad Bawa. However, Bumrah will likely be missed in the death overs, given that both Chahar and Boult are powerplay specialists.
