It is good news if you are a Mumbai Indians fan as head coach Mahela Jayawardene has said that Jasprit Bumrah is back with the squad and is available to play in the IPL 2026. The news comes as a timely boost for MI as they start their chase for a sixth IPL crown at the Wankhede on Sunday, March 29 against KKR.
There was a slight doubt around Bumrah’s participation at the start of the IPL 2026 season, as he wasn’t present with the squad after the T20 World Cup 2026. The star pacer picked 14 wickets during India’s victorious campaign and was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. While the rest of the members from the T20 World Cup squad joined the MI camp, Bumrah went to the BCCI’s Centre Of Excellence.
While many suspected it was an injury issue, the speculation was quickly dismissed as Bumrah was part of a meticulously calibrated workload management programme. According to ESPNcricinfo, the Board of Control for Cricket in India medical team has put together a tailored strength and conditioning programme for Jasprit Bumrah at the Centre of Excellence. The focus is on keeping him in optimal shape ahead of India’s crucial white-ball tour of England in July, which includes five T20Is and three ODIs.
“On Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah). He’s back with the squad. He’s available to play. That’s it,” said Jayawardene.
JAYAWARDENE ON DELAYED PLAYER ARRIVALS
Apart from Bumrah, MI are also missing the likes of Will Jacks and Mitchell Santner, who are yet to link up with the squad ahead of the KKR clash on Sunday. Jayawardene said that it was bound to happen due to the buildup towards the T20 World Cup 2026 and they were prepared for it.
“The buildup to the World Cup was quite intense as well. I mean, there was a lot of cricket played. There were a couple of Test series going on as well before that. And then leading up to the T20 World Cup, there were a lot of bilateral tournaments. The workloads of some of them, most of them are bowlers who needed that bit of extra week, and then the World Cup itself was quite high intensity, travelling, playing. So that’s part and parcel of it, and we knew that, going into this IPL, there’ll be those kinds of situations, so we just have to manage that,” said Jayawardene.
Bumrah has a fine record against KKR picking up 25 wickets in 18 matches against them in his IPL career.
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