Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene is thrilled to have India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah back in the squad.
After recovering from injury, Bumrah has rejoined the Mumbai Indians camp, and Jayawardene has confirmed that the experienced pacer is set to make his return in the team’s next match.
Mumbai will face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday in the IPL. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Jayawardene said Bumrah is ready to play.
“He will be available. He trained today, so he is ready for tomorrow. He joined the squad last night. I believe he has finalized everything with the NCA. Now he’s under our physio’s care. So today it’s about watching him bowl. If all goes well, he will play tomorrow.”
On Sunday, Bumrah was seen inspecting the pitch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and doing some shadow bowling. Later, he bowled in the nets to Rohit Sharma, a clear sign of his readiness.
Jayawardene expressed how pleased he is to have Bumrah back, emphasizing the value his experience brings to the bowling attack.
“Boom (Bumrah) is back after a long break. So we need to give him that space and not expect too much too soon. But knowing Jasprit, he will be ready. And we’re very happy to have him back in camp.”
Bumrah has been out of action since returning from the Australia tour in January. Although there were hopes he’d return for the Champions Trophy in February, India eventually had to play without him. Despite his absence, Rohit Sharma’s team went on to win the tournament.
Even after the global event ended, there were no immediate signs of a return for Bumrah, who was still undergoing rehab at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. He also missed the early matches of the IPL. But now, the long wait is nearly over—he’s finally ready to step back onto the field.
