Why is Jofra Archer not playing today's match vs GT in IPL 2023?

Mumbai Indians (MI) speedster Jofra Archer will not feature in the fixture against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, April 25. MI skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed the pacer's absence after winning the toss and electing to bowl first, owing to the 28-year-old not being well.

Archer was replaced by Aussie pacer Riley Meridith in the playing XI, while left-arm Chinaman bowler Kumar Kartikeya was preferred ahead of Hrithik Shokeen for the high-voltage contest against the defending champions.

Speaking at the toss, Rohit said:

"We are gonna bowl first. We saw the pitch yesterday, it was hard. They put a lot of water there. Want to make best use of the conditions since we think there's going to be a bit of moisture."

He added:

"Start well early on and see where the game is heading. We've got 2 changes - Hrithik Shokeen misses out from the last game. Kumar Kartikeya is going to play. Jofra is not well. Riley Meredith is back."

Jofra Archer's injury is a body blow to the Mumbai Indians, who are precariously placed in the middle of the points table with three wins from six matches.

He played the first game of the season against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Bangalore on April 2 before missing out on the next four matches due to soreness in the right elbow.

Archer returned against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 22 and looked to be getting into the groove in his second spell of PBKS' batting innings.

Jofra Archer was signed by the franchise at the mega auction in 2022 for eight crore rupees but missed the entire last season due to an elbow and back stress fracture. The pace sensation has picked up 47 wickets in 37 matches at an average of 22.47 and an economy rate of 7.26 in his IPL career.

Jofra's absence in the fixture against GT robs fans of an opportunity to see the in-form Shubman Gill face off against one of the best pacers in the world.

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"It's always good to see Jof running in at full pace" - MI head coach Mark Boucher on Jofra Archer

Mumbai Indians Head Coach Mark Boucher was impressed by Archer's rhythm and performance in his comeback game against the Punjab Kings in Mumbai on April 22. The English pacer finished with figures of 1/42 in his four overs in a high-scoring contest that ended with MI falling short by 13 runs.

Speaking after the game, Boucher was upbeat about Archer's bowling and said:

"I thought Jof bowled us some good pace. He landed a couple of yorkers. The wicket was good to bat on and thus, we knew it was going to be a tough night for our bowlers. For that, I think for his first outing, we'll take it."

The legendary South African wicketkeeper added:

"Hopefully, he's not feeling any pain tomorrow and he can be up and running and put his name in the selection for the next game. It's always good to see Jof running in at full pace so we're grateful for that."

Jofra has only featured in two games so far this season and has picked up just one wicket, going at an economy of more than nine runs per over.