New Delhi [India], March 14 (ANI): Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to begin their IPL 2025 campaign without their premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who is still recovering from a lower back injury sustained in January. Bumrah, who has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, is expected to rejoin the squad by early April, subject to medical clearance. MI have three matches scheduled in March, meaning he could miss a significant portion of the tournament's early stages, as per ESPNcricinfo.

The pacer suffered a stress-related back injury on the second day of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney on January 4. As a result, he was ruled out of the Champions Trophy, which India went on to win earlier this month. This marks the first recurrence of his back issues since he underwent surgery in March 2023.

When India's squad for the Champions Trophy was announced in January, chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that Bumrah had been advised by the BCCI medical team to offload for at least five weeks following the Sydney Test. Although initially named in India's provisional squad, he underwent fresh scans in early February and continued to experience discomfort, ultimately missing the tournament.

It remains uncertain how many IPL matches Bumrah will be unavailable for, with no confirmed timeline for his return. MI's first two matches are away fixtures--against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai on March 23 and Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 29. Their first home game is against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31, followed by fixtures against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on April 4 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Mumbai on April 7.

Given his unique bowling action, Bumrah has been prone to back issues, prompting the BCCI's medical staff and team management to manage his workload carefully. Former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, who previously worked with him as MI's bowling coach, recently expressed concern about the long-term implications of another back injury in the same area where he underwent surgery. Bond, who dealt with chronic back injuries during his own career, cautioned that another setback could potentially end Bumrah's career.

He also highlighted the risks of transitioning too quickly from T20 cricket to Test matches. With India set to tour England for a five-Test series starting in June, barely a month after the IPL concludes on May 25, Bumrah's fitness will be a key concern for the team management. (ANI)