In what comes as a big blow to Mumbai Indians (MI), ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be out of action till mid-April. Bumrah was expected to make a comeback in the first week of April, however, the injury is serious than expected, and the BCCI medical team is in no rush to get the pacer back on the field. Bumrah has resumed bowling, but a comeback to professional cricket looks a distant dream for now as the medical team fears that a premature return could lead to a career-threatening stress fracture.
Bumrah has missed quite a few key series and events for India due to injuries. He was unstoppable on the Australia tour, but India's overreliance on the pacer meant that he bowled a lot more than he should've, resulting in the pacer suffering a back injury in the final Test in Sydney.
"Bumrah's injury is a bit more serious. The medical team wants to ensure he doesn't suffer a stress fracture. Bumrah himself is being careful. He is bowling at the CoE, but it could take longer to get back in full swing. No definite timeline has been set yet, but one hopes he gets back by mid-April," The Times of India quoted a source as saying.
MI have lost two out of the three games, and Bumrah's return will be a massive boost to them, however, Bumrah will be vital for India on the England tour, and the BCCI would not want the pacer to pick another injury before a crucial series. They have already made this blunder once when they rushed Bumrah's comeback for two T20Is against Australia in September 2022, which resulted in the pacer aggravating his injury and missing about a year's action. India can't afford another blunder ahead of a crucial series.