Jasprit Bumrah is on track to recover from a back injury that has kept him sidelined since the fifth Test against Australia in January, but will miss the first few IPL matches for the Mumbai Indians, as reported on RevSportz Hindi live on Thursday. Bumrah, who suffered the back injury during the Australia tour, has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
While Bumrah has started bowling in the nets, he will still need some time to regain full fitness. He is expected to join his Mumbai Indians teammates in the first half of April, after receiving fitness clearance from the BCCI. Notably, the 31-year-old missed the ICC Champions Trophy due to this injury.
Upon returning from Australia, Bumrah was given complete rest from any physical sporting activity—termed “offloading”—for five weeks before he travelled to Bengaluru for scans in February. Even in the first few sessions at the CoE, Bumrah and the medical staff focused solely on stretching and relieving the stress on his back. According to sources at the CoE, Bumrah has accumulated not one but multiple pressure points on his back, which is why his recovery is taking longer than initially expected.
India’s pace ace is also in regular consultation with Dr Rowan Schouten in New Zealand, who operated on Bumrah after he missed the T20 World Cup in 2022 due to a lower back injury.
Additionally, the BCCI wants Bumrah to recover fully and not rush back, considering there is a marquee five-Test series against England scheduled immediately after the IPL. In all likelihood, Bumrah will miss the first five or six matches of the IPL.