Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed that their pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is still at the Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru (formerly known as NCA). Jayawardene said that Bumrah is progressing well and the MI team management are waiting for a feedback. There is no set timeline on when Bumrah will return to action but Jayawardene is hopeful that it will be soon.
"Jasprit is at the moment with NCA. He has just started his progress," Jayawardene said in a media interaction. "We have to wait and see what their feedback is on him. At the moment, everything is going well."
Jayawardene admitted that it is a challenge for MI in Bumrah's absence. He expects other bowlers to step up in his absence.
"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," the former Sri Lanka captain said.
"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."
Bumrah suffered a lower back injury during the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The injury ruled him out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Death overs issue for MI
In the absence of Bumrah, Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult are likely to open the bowling for MI. Skiper Hardik Pandya can bowl with the new ball in the powerplay overs. However, they will face a dilemma when it comes to death overs.
SKY to captain against CSK
In the same media interaction, skipper Hardik confirmed that Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 in his absence. Hardik faced suspension for maintaining slow over rate last season. He will be back in the side against Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 29.