Jasprit Bumrah unlikely for IPL 2023, WTC final

Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Jasprit Bumrah’s return from injury could be longer than expected as the player continues to struggle with his recovery and the ace pacer is likely to miss the Indian Premier League 2023, which is scheduled to start on March 31, as well as the WTC final scheduled in June.

The 29-year-old has been on the sidelines for almost five months and his return continues to be delayed. He was expected to return for the last two Tests in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 or the ODIs against Australia. But his name was missing from the squad sheet again, with no official update from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

A Cricbuzz report suggests that the player is having some trouble with recovery and is not feeling comfortable. Bumrah last appeared for India during the home series against Australia in September 2022, where he suffered a back injury. It was expected to be a minor setback but he went on to miss the 2022 T20 World Cup and is yet to get the clearance from National Cricket Academy (NCA).

The same report suggests that the NCA is not looking to rush the player into action. The BCCI and NCA are also planning on Bumrah’s return to international cricket prior to the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

Bumrah to miss IPL and WTC Final?

Earlier this week, the reports revealed that the player recently went through match-simulation workloads at NCA in Bengaluru. And that triggered a discussion of his potential return before the IPL 2023.

If Bumrah missed the IPL, it will be a big loss for the Mumbai Indians, who finished last position in IPL 2022. However, MI’s camp will be boosted with the return of another star pacer Jofra Archer, who missed the entire season with an injury last season.

Indian team is in contention for the World Test Championship 2021-23 (WTC) final and is likely to be a part of the final, which will take place at The Oval from June 7. India has done well in Bumrah’s absence in red-ball cricket lately but his return would have only boosted India’s chances of winning in the WTC final.