Follow UsMumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene provided a crucial update about star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The pacer, who got injured during the last Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, also missed the ICC Champions Trophy and looked uncertain for the full season of the IPL as well.
"[Bumrah] has just started his progress. We have to wait and see what their [BCCI medical team] feedback is on him. At the moment, everything is going well. 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,” Jayawardene told reporters during a press conference in Mumbai.
Saying that it gives an opportunity for youngsters to step up in Bumrah’s absence, Jayawardena made it clear that Bumrah will not be available, at least for the first few games.
"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 seeing how things work. The early part of the season allows us to do that,” the coach said.
As far as the pacers’ strength for the MI team is concerned, they have Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Reece Topley and Corbin Bosch as frontline quicks. Skipper Hardik Pandya, a U-19 star from 2022, Raj Angad Bawa and uncapped players such as Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju and Arjun Tendulkar are other fast bowling options.
MI will open their IPL 2025 campaign against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 away from home at Chepauk.