IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians in shock as Jasprit Bumrah RULED OUT of several matches

India star Jasprit Bumrah's much-awaited return to action may take more time than previously anticipated. The right-arm pacer has been on the sidelines since the conclusion of the five-match Test series in Australia earlier this year.

While Jasprit Bumrah played in all the five Tests of the series, he had not bowled in the second innings of the fifth Test in Sydney. Reports stated that the India pace spearhead had a stress reaction in his back and needed rest to recover.

It was expected that he would be recover fully after taking rest for a month. The selectors had named in India's provisional 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy in January. However, Jasprit Bumrah missed not only the ODI series against England at home but also the ongoing Champions Trophy.

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Jasprit Bumrah's return delayed:

While many expect Jasprit Bumrah to make his much-awaited return to competitive cricket in the upcoming IPL 2025, reports state that the pacer may also miss the first few games in the tournament.

The Times of India has reported that the right-arm pacer may miss the first week or two of the IPL. While IPL 2025 will get underway on March 22, Bumrah is likely to join the Mumbai Indians camp only in April, just like LSG pacer Mayank Yadav. At present, the star pacer is undergoing rehab at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

"Bumrah's medical reports are okay. He has resumed bowling at the CoE. However, it is unlikely he'll be able to bowl at the start of the IPL in another fortnight. As per current status, the first week of April looks a more realistic date for him to get back to high-intensity cricket," a BCCI source said.

If that happens, Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the first three or four matches for Mumbai Indians. The pacer is yet to start bowling full tilt and might need a few more weeks to recover fully,

"It's standard operating procedure. The medical team will gradually build up his workload and intensity. Unless he is able to bowl full tilt without any discomfort for some
days, the medical team is unlikely to clear him," the source said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are scheduled to play as many as three games in March. They will start their campaign against Chennai Super Kings on March 23 before taking on Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29 and 31 respectively.

Also, the selection committee will take a cautious approach with Bumrah as well as Mohammed Shami for the England Test tour as they don't want to plan the entire series around injury-prone pacers.

"How Shami and Bumrah endure the long IPL will be important. Shami is under constant watch. If the selectors get both of them together for two-three Tests, it will be the ideal situation. The team management will also be cautious of pushing the duo to pay all Tests together. Nobody wants either of them breaking down in the middle of a Test, like it happened with Bumrah in Sydney. Too much depended on Bumrah alone in Australia," sources told TOI.