Ace India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah might miss the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) season this year as well as the final of the World Test Championship (given India qualify for the title round) which will be held in England in June as his recovery from an injury might take some more time.
The 29-year-old bowler, who has more than 300 international wickets across formats, has been out of cricketing action since September last year and missed some major tournaments such as Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. There have been efforts to see him return to the national side but they have failed.
Bumrah is also not part of the India squad for the ongoing Test series against Australia at home.
The latest report that he might have to sit out for the entire IPL in which he represents five-time champions Mumbai Indians will add more to the worry of the Indian fans and selectors.
According to a Cricbuzz report, the nature of Bumrah’s injury is serious and if the Indian cricket board's sources are to be believed, the premier bowler might miss a huge chunk of cricket in the coming months, including the WTC final which the Asian side is likely to reach.
The report also said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India wants Bumrah to get into shape at the time of the 50-over World Cup which India will host towards the end of this year.
The bowler last played for India in a T20 match against Australia at home on September 25 last year.
Since then, he has been rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Bumrah was all set to return to competitive cricket in a home series against Sri Lanka in January but was ruled out later after failing to recover.
The bowler also faced flak that he would be fit to play in the IPL but the latest reports suggest that even that looks distant now. The Mumbai Indians fared poorly in the 2022 season and were looking towards Bumrah's comeback.
The pacer has also led India in a Test match so far -- the rescheduled fifth match of the 2021-22 series against England at Edgbaston and India lost despite gaining an early advantage.
Monks sit on a stage next to portraits of tsunami victims as people take part in an interfaith ceremony at the Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park in southern Thai province of Phang Nga on December 26, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Shai Guy