IPL 2025: Bumrah back in MI fold, countdown on his first game begins

There is a buzz in the Mumbai Indians camp ahead of their upcoming clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday. It centres around the return of Jasprit Bumrah to the fold after being on the sidelines for more than three months due to the back injury sustained during the Sydney Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January this year – though it’s unlikely that he will be a part of the playing XI straightaway.

The PR machinery of the Mumbai Paltan launched an Instagram post 'Ready to roar' on Sunday as the Indian pace warhead has been finally cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after a long rehab.

While it ends the speculation whether he would be unavailable for the entire IPL, but the earliest he is expected to be seen in action is against Delhi Capitals (13 April) or Sunrisers Hyderabad on 17 April. 

The five-time champions have not had an impressive start to their campaign at all – having lost three of their four matches and languishing at eighth place in the table. However, the pace bowling department comprising of senior pro Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar or newcomer Ashwani Kumar did not quite let down the team in his absence.

It had been rather the form of batters like former skipper Rohit Sharma which has turned out to be a matter of concern.

Ever since his IPL debut in 2013 after being picked up by the famous MI scouting system, Bumrah had been a talismanic figure in their bowling attack – having picked up 165 wickets in 133 matches. Speaking about the prospect of taking on Bumrah in an IPL shirt, Sunrisers allrounder Nitish Reddy said: ‘’I would be grateful for the challenge. He is one of the best bowlers in the world right now and facing him would be an exciting contest. If I manage to score some runs against him, I would be very happy. Competing against top bowlers like Bumrah is what makes the game exciting.

Speaking on JioHotstar’s show Gen Bold, Reddy said: ‘’This generation of Indian cricket has been shaped by legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and others. They have taken Indian cricket to new heights, and we aspire to carry forward their legacy. Players like Jasprit, Rohit and Virat are truly golden assets to Indian cricket.’’

Now 31, the challenge before Bumrah is that of self preservation – given his proclivity to break down due to his unconventional action. The recent breakdown saw him miss out on ICC Champions Trophy and the Indian team management now want him to go full tilt in the five-Test series in England soon after the IPL.