IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians look for first win against Gujarat Titans

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will be searching for their first win of IPL 2025 against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Saturday – albeit without their attacking lynchpin Jasprit Bumrah in their ranks.

Bumrah, who broke down with a recurrence of the lower back injury during the Sydney Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is undergoing rehabilitation at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and is expected to join the squad in April.

Confirming that Bumrah is 'not available' for selection for their second game as well, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said they were yet to receive any timeline from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) about the fitness clearance of the star fast bowler.

"On a daily basis he's going through his programme. So far everything seems okay but there were no timelines given by NCA so we'll wait on that," the Lankan legend said.

No prizes for guessing that BCCI are not willing to take any chances with their most valuable weapon – what with a full five-Test series in England coming up in June.

Glenn McGrath, the Australian great and a great admirer of the Indian quick, said Bumrah needs to be ‘’smarter’’ about his game and manage his body. New Zealander Shane Bond, a former fast bowling coach of Mumbai Indians who has been privy to Bumrah’s progress over the years, Bond said: ‘’One more injury in the same place can risk Bumrah’s career.’’

Given his unique bowling action, Bumrah has been always prone to back issues, prompting the BCCI’s medical staff and team management to manage his workload carefully. 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 25 May, Bumrah’s fitness will be a key concern for the team management. Unconfirmed sources say that he could be joining the MI squad in April.

Speaking at the media interaction on the eve of their second game, Jayawardene said while Bumrah will definitely be missed, they have invested on a lot of experience in the pace department (read: Trent Boult & Deepak Chahar) to manage the crisis and will decide on the squad on the basis of the conditions in Ahmedabad.