In terms of Indian pace-bowling possibilities, the Mumbai Indians have given opportunities to the likes of Ashwani Kumar and Satyanarayan Raju, and will have to wait for Jasprit Bumrah’s return for at least a week during the ongoing IPL season.
Jasprit Bumrah, India’s Test vice-captain, has not played competitive cricket since the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy owing to a stress strain to his lower back, which has delayed his return to the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Bumrah has already missed three matches for the five-time IPL champions this season and is expected to miss a few more as the pacer nears the end of his rehab.
According to news sources, Bumrah is on the verge of returning from a lengthy injury rehabilitation that caused him to miss the fourth innings of the SCG Test. According to the report, Bumrah is nearing the end of his fitness tests before being deemed fit at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. With a long and critical five-match Test series against England scheduled immediately following the IPL, Bumrah and the BCCI have been extremely cautious in their approach to rehabilitation.In the 2017 IPL, the Mumbai Indians have missed the edge that Bumrah brings to whichever team he plays for, particularly given the range of surfaces the teams have faced. MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene described Bumrah’s absence as a challenge in the pre-tournament press conference, and while the Men in Blue have been able to try out Ashwani Kumar and Satyanarayan Raju as Indian pace-bowling backups, they will hope to see him back on the field as soon as possible.With Bumrah now confirmed to miss at least the games against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the Mumbai Indians will have to rely on Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, and Mitchell Santner in the bowling department, while hoping that Ashwani and left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur can maintain their impressive debut performances.
