Star Indian fast bowlers’ comebacks from injury delayed for IPL 2025: Reports

Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep have yet to recover from their respective injuries, thereby delaying their comeback to competitive cricket. The duo have already missed the early stages of the ongoing 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), as they continue their rehabilitation at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Bumrah has been out of action since sustaining a back injury during the final Border-Gavaskar Test in Sydney in January. The right-arm pacer missed out on Team India's victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well.

According to initial reports, Bumrah was slated to return in time for the Mumbai Indians' (MI) first home game of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31. Since he had not even joined the squad at that point, MI had to deploy youngster Ashwani Kumar, who starred with a four-fer in the thumping win at the Wankhede Stadium.

There were encouraging signs in the cricketing fraternity as footage of Bumrah bowling in the nets went viral on social media. According to a report by the Times of India, the speedster has yet to bowl with full intensity as the physios fear a recurrence of his stress back fracture. His workload is being monitored and increased gradually after being declared 'clinically fit.'

"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," a source told the Times of India.

Bumrah underwent surgery to address the back injury in early 2023 after missing the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Akash Deep's comeback for IPL 2025 pushed by a week

The right-arm pacer's unavailability at the start of the IPL 2025 came as a huge blow for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The franchise's injury crisis ahead of the season also included the likes of Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav. In the absence of the first-choice options, the franchise had to play with Shardul Thakur and Prince Yadav as their lead seamers before Avesh Khan was declared fit for their second match and beyond.

Akash Deep has been out of action since the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne in December 2024. He was not available for the fifth BGT Test due to a back injury. With his comeback delayed by a week, LSG could have him for selection midway through the tournament.

Both Akash Deep and Bumrah will be on the selectors' radar for the crucial five-match Test series against England after the 2025 IPL season.