The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 will commence from Friday (March 31), and all ten teams are set to compete in the marquee event for the coveted trophy. However, the absence of Jasprit Bumrah from the tournament is a bit bothering for five times champions Mumbai Indians (MI), who are yet to announce the replacement of their premier pacer.
Notably, Bumrah sustained a back injury in September last year and has not participated in any competitive match ever since. He recently underwent surgery in New Zealand to treat his recurring back issues and hence has pulled out of the IPL 2023. It will be the first time in a decade that the 29-year-old fast-bowler will not feature in IPL for the Mumbai-based team.
On being asked about Bumrah’s absence from the tournament in the pre-season press conference, MI skipper Rohit Sharma said that the management has some players on their list to replace the right-arm pacer and will come up with the final decision soon.
“Regarding Bumrah’s replacement, we’ve been discussing a few options. Hopefully, we can close it down in the next couple of days and then we see how we will go about it,” said Rohit.
The India captain further added that although it’s tough to fill the void of Bumrah, they have some youngsters who might get a chance to showcase their talent in the latter’s absence.
“We have been talking about Bumrah. He is a big miss. Jasprit Bumrah’s role was quite important for Mumbai Indians, it’s a big shoe to fill. But it gives someone else an opportunity for the youngsters in the team to showcase their talent. We have a couple of guys who have been with this team for the last few years. They are very much ready to take the centrestage and hopefully can blood in some youngsters,” added the 35-year-old.
Meanwhile, talking about the legendary Sachin Tendulkar‘s son Arjun Tendulkar, Rohit said: “Arjun Tendulkar is playing good cricket in recent times. He was injured but today he will start bowling.”
On the other hand, MI’s head coach, Mark Boucher, agreed with the India opener and added: “Arjun has been playing good cricket for some time, he is bowling well, we are thinking that he will play in the playing XI this year.”
Arjun is an all-rounder and was roped in by the MI franchise in 2021, but he has not made his debut in the IPL yet.
