New Delhi: Former MI Coach Highlights Bumrah’s Crucial Role
Former South African cricketer Mark Boucher, who served as the head coach of Mumbai Indians in the last two IPL seasons, emphasized the significance of Jasprit Bumrah in the team’s success. He stated that MI is always a much stronger team with Bumrah and that his absence at the start of IPL 2025 is a major setback.
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Bumrah’s Injury and Absence in Early IPL 2025 Matches
Bumrah is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (formerly NCA, Bengaluru) due to a lower back injury. The injury sidelined him during the fifth Test at Sydney and also kept him out of India’s Champions Trophy-winning campaign.
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Boucher shared his thoughts on Bumrah’s absence:
“Mumbai Indians without Jasprit Bumrah is straight away not a good thing. He’s probably the world’s best T20 bowler. The fact that he can bowl in the powerplay and death overs makes him a match-winner in his own right.”
“Mumbai Indians with Jasprit Bumrah are always going to be a lot better team. I would have loved to have had Bumrah in my first season (IPL 2023). With him, we could have been title contenders.”
MI’s Bowling Plans Without Bumrah
Bumrah has taken 165 wickets in 133 IPL matches for MI, making him one of their most valuable players. His absence will force Mumbai Indians to rework their bowling strategy.
According to Boucher, Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar will now have to step up:
“The fact that he’s not available brings a guy like Trent Boult into the equation, where he will probably have to lead the attack. Deepak Chahar is a new selection for Mumbai Indians, and I think he will play a massive role as well.”
MI’s Foreign Player Selection Strategy
With four overseas slots available, MI will have to make some tough choices in balancing their squad. Boucher speculated on possible strategies:
- Trent Boult is likely to play and lead the attack.
- Mitchell Santner could be included as an all-rounder.
- Reece Topley might be in contention, but this could impact the batting lineup.
“There is no cover for Jasprit Bumrah. It just depends on what they want to do with regard to international players. They might have to sacrifice a batter to accommodate an overseas bowler.”
MI’s Opening Combination Without Bumrah
Boucher also predicted that Bumrah’s absence might impact MI’s opening pair alongside Rohit Sharma. He suggested that MI might experiment with:
- Robin Minz, a promising new talent.
- Naman Dhir, who can open the batting.
- Ryan Rickleton, a strong overseas option.
- Will Jacks, another powerful batting choice.
“It will be interesting to see if they play Robin Minz, as he’s an unknown entity. If they want to strengthen their bowling with international players, it might come at the expense of an opening batter.”
