MI head coach provides massive update on Jasprit Bumrah's fitness ahead of CSK vs MI IPL 2025 match

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene hopes to have bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah fit and available as soon as possible in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. The right-arm pacer is currently recovering from a back injury at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and has not played any cricket since the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.

Bumrah was initially slated to be available for the 2025 Champions Trophy and was even named in the provisional squad. However, he was replaced by Harshit Rana and went on to miss Team India's victorious campaign in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Initial reports have suggested that Bumrah might be fit in time to be available for MI's first home game of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31.

Mahela Jayawardene stated that the team is still awaiting feedback from the physios and trainers working close to Bumrah in his rehabilitation phase.

"Jasprit is currently with the NCA. So, he has just started his progress, and we have to wait and see what the feedback is. At the moment, everything is going well. Obviously, the progress is on a day-to-day basis. He is in good spirits, and hopefully, he can join the team soon," Mahela Jayawardene said during MI's pre-season press conference.

"Obviously, not having him in the team is a challenge, he is one of the best bowlers in the world. But, we'll have to find a way without him, it is an opportunity for someone else to step up, and show what they are capable of," he added.

MI had to assemble a bowling unit from scratch after retaining only Jasprit Bumrah from their IPL 2024 bowling unit. The franchise went hard for their former bowler Trent Boult, and new ball specialist Deepak Chahar, and also focused on overseas spinners during the IPL 2025 mega auction.

"The plan was clear to get a bowling attack with a lot of experience. Wankhede can be unforgiving to the bowlers, so it was important for us to get experience like Mitch, Deepak, and Trent. Even myself or Mujeeb, we have played a lot of cricket. So when the tough time comes, they have already faced pressure before,. So, if you see our bowling make, I think that is evident," Pandya said.

MI had initially signed the emerging Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar at the mega auction. However, due to a last-minute injury, the franchise roped in Mujeeb-ur-Rahman as a replacement.

"The communication was outside my bubble" - MI head Mahela Jayawardene on the events that transpired during IPL 2024

The five-time champions had a season to forget in 2024, ending a horrendous three-year cycle, where they finished at the bottom on two occasions. The last season, in particular, witnessed a lot of chaos after the trade involving Hardik Pandya, and his eventual succession as captain, replacing Rohit Sharma in the process.

The move was subject to intense backlash, with several reports speculating unrest inside the dressing room as well. The culmination of the season saw head coach Mark Boucher leave his position, while Mahela Jayawardene was re-instated to his old position following a brief stint as MI Group's Global Head of Development.

"The communication was outside my bubble, but what happened within the bubble was quite good. Even though I was not the head coach, I was part of the main setup. So, I knew what was happening. It was important for us to get together. We pride on our core group, that's been our success for many years," Jayawardene said.

MI will kickstart their campaign with an away encounter against CSK at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, March 23.