Unpopular Opinion: Mumbai, for sake of Indians, don’t play Jasprit Bumrah in MI vs RCB

Ever since pacer Jasprit Bumrah first burst on to the scene in IPL a decade back, two things were quite evident — his penchant to bowl yorkers, and the tendency to get injured with his rather slinging action. Now, it has been over four months since the best bowler in the world faced a back issue, in Australia during the Sydney Test, and it’s been a long wait thereafter..

India missed him in Champions Trophy — despite the triumph, and now Mumbai Indians is feeling the heat without him. In four matches, the Hardik Pandya-led side has secured only one win and lost three. Pandya has been their main pacer, who has picked up eight wickets in three matches, but certainly cannot be relied upon, in the long run.

Problems Galore for MI in IPL 2025, Without Jasprit Bumrah

Ashwani Kumar was exposed in the second match, after being impressive in the first match, and has an economy rate of 10.50. Deepak Chahar has been erratic with an economy of 9.90, while Trent Boult has been ordinary with three wickets in four games. So, technically, Jasprit Bumrah in MI camp is a great news for them. He could just be a game-changer immediately.

And there could be plans to play him immediately, in the match vs RCB on Monday. But we say, no. Simply because back injuries are quite complicated, take a lot of time to heal, and plus, India has an England Test series lined up in June. Let’s break this down further.

Bumrah Injury Prone, Must be Preserved

Bumrah has had a history of injuries, and back issues isn’t new to him. It first surfaced in 2019, when on the tour of West Indies, he was diagnosed with stress fracture. That meant he had to miss the South Africa series, and was out for almost three months. The bigger blow came in 2022, where another stress fracture in August that year, kept him out of action for 11 months. He had to undergo a surgery in New Zealand, had to miss the T20 World Cup, and also the IPL 2023 as well.

Jasprit Bumrah List of Injuries

June 2018 – Thumb Injury (Time lost: 21 days)
August 2019 – Lower Back Stress Fracture (Time lost: 90 days)
January 2021 – Abdominal Strain (Time lost: 14 days)
August 2022 – Back Stress Fracture (Time lost: 11 months)

He was finally fit in time for the Ireland T20Is in AUG 2023. One of the factors that extended his recovery period was, he was made to play a few bilateral matches vs Australia in between, that worsened his injury. The learning here was — to take things slow with the back injury.

Choice to be Made Between IPL & India vs England Series

Once again, MI, the BCCI and other stakeholders seem to find themselves at the crossroads — whether to play Bumrah or not, without any practice match, and risk his chances for the England series as well. Of course, no one really knows the real situation of his back currently, but him joining the MI camp could be taken as an indication for sure.

Right now, it is a choice between performing for Mumbai Indians, or performing for India in Tests. Given India’s poor form in the last two series, vs New Zealand and Australia, the choice should be obvious; but one doesn’t really know.

But for the sake of Indians, Mumbai should not play Jasprit Bumrah in MI vs RCB, and a few matches after that.

BOXER CHANDNI MEHRA