New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah has returned from a three-month long injury break, done rehab and joined the Mumbai Indians camp. At a time when the performance of MI has been lacklustre in IPL 2025, the return of Bumrah is like fresh air. It is expected the tall and strapping Bumrah will join Trent Boult as MI take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 match on Monday. Bumrah had spent the better part of the last few weeks undergoing rehab at the National Centre for Excellence. The social media handle of MI posted photos of Bumrah on Sunday, all smiles.
What exactly happened to Bumrah’s back, nobody knows. He had got injured on January 4, 2025 in the Sydney Test and went for an MRI scan at the venue itself. Officially, it was conveyed as a ‘back spasm.’ However, after the initial news, there was just no further updates on the nature of his back injury, whether it was a muscle spasm or something more serious like a disc bulge. He had undergone a back surgery 2023, so a recurrence of the injury has been worrying. As the spearhead of the Indian pace attack in the BGT Series which concluded in in Australia in January 2025, Bumrah was sensational, taking 32 wickets. The cricketing world went crazy over his raging bowling spells. But when the injury happened, there was gloom. It is believed Bumrah had over-bowled, something which should have been noticed by skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir.
On return to India, the suspense on Bumrah’s back injury increased. No mention of the MRI scan reports was made, though some felt he would make it to the Indian team for the Champions Trophy in Dubai. Bumrah did not play a single match in it and , none spoke a word on it, chairman of selection committee Ajit Agarkar included. The obvious question now is if Bumrah can change the fortunes of the MI team. He has played a ‘simulation match’ but how soon they will throw him into the deep end of the pool is unclear, though Monday seems on the cards. Fast bowlers across teams have made an impact in the IPL this year. Bumrah would be keen to test his own back and bowl intimidating stuff with the white ball. What is more important, how his workload will be managed. When overseas fast bowlers compete in the IPL, their respective cricket
boards ask for constant feedback on workload. It includes details of how much a bowler is at work in nets and also the matches played.
Surely, a similar kind of protocol must be followed for Jasprit Bumrah as well. There are two aspects to his return, he would have undergone intense rehab after rest and then started bowling. The challenge will be to use Bumrah in such a way he is not subjected to an overload. The IPL may seem like just four over per match, but there is plenty of travel and wear and tear. It is now up to the MI team management as well as the think-tank in the BCCI to protect Bumrah further.
With India scheduled to tour England this summer for a full Test series, Bumrah will be a key player. There was speculation in January if Rohit Sharma
would even continue with cricket. He has made it clear, he will play till the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup, hopefully, if he can stay fit. If that be the case, Rohit will be the captain in England and Bumrah will just be a frontline bowler. Sadly, at one point of time, Bumrah was even projected as Test captain of India. Now it appears the best for him would be to play cricket with a close eye on how much he bowls and what the workload will be. The lack of a proper fast bowling support cast for Bumrah in Australia was very clear. For those who think Mohd
Shami can be there with Bumrah in England, his fitness and form are not that great now. There is a big difference between white ball cricket and Tests. It is in the red ball long format India want to see Bumrah fire those yorkers and dis miss batters. There is a catch, can Bumrah bowl full tilt again?