Star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has reportedly been ruled out of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League due to a back injury. The 29-year-old speedster, who is one of the best bowlers of the present time, has been out of action since September 25, 2022. He was in line to make a comeback during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in January but got ruled out on the eve of the series opener. He was then expected to return to the fold for the last two Tests against Australia, but that also didn’t happen, and it was reported that he would directly make a comeback with the IPL. But a few days ago, that plan also got cancelled. And now, in a major update about the star pacer’s fitness, it has been revealed that the Ahmedabad-based pacer, who sits at the No. 5 position in the ICC Test rankings, will be out for at least six months.
According to a report in PTI, in which they quoted a source from the BCCI, Bumrah is unlikely to make a comeback in the next six months, as he has failed to fully recover from his back injury. While he is surely out of the IPL 2023 and World Test Championship final, there’s no clarity on whether he will be fit enough to feature in the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup later this year.
“Bumrah has been ruled out of the IPL as he will take another six months to come back. Even then, he might or might not make a comeback. The 50-over World Cup is the target, but that is also not guaranteed,” the BCCI source said.
Since the start of 2022, Bumrah has only appeared in five Tests, five ODIs, and as many T20Is, apart from playing all 14 matches for his IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians.
If Bumrah, who missed the T20 World Cup in Australia last year, fails to recover in time for the ODI World Cup, then it will be a big blow to Team India’s chances of ending the 12-year wait to win a World Cup title.
