jasprit bumrah sportstiger 1

Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah has been grabbing the limelight for not playing cricket for more than an expected time period. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not want to rush Bumrah’s comeback citing his mandatory appearance at the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the ODI World Cup, the pacer is likely to play high-octane Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians.

BCCI on Sunday named the squad for the remaining two Test matches and the ODI leg of the contest against Australia but didn’t name Bumrah in the squad.  However, as per fresh reports, Bumrah is likely to play IPL under close watch by BCCI health experts.

Additionally, Cricbuzz has reported that Bumrah has not received clearance from the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for a national call-up. Reportedly, Bumrah is believed to have played a couple of practice games at the Bengaluru facility of the BCCI, but NCA managers have not issued an all-clear for him to be considered for the national call-up.

While several Indian cricket fans are questioning Bumrah for prioritizing IPL over national commitments, reports have hinted that team management is of the opinion that Bumrah must scale up his workload intensity step by step during IPL. “His participation in IPL remains part of his recovery plans and IPL will be a litmus test before any full-blown competitive action,” added a source-based report.

In yet another report, it has been claimed that BCCI will monitor Bumrah’s workload in the IPL. Although there is no confirmation from the Mumbai Indians as to what extent they will let BCCI experts intervene in Bumrah’s matter, BCCI is reportedly adamant about their decision to oversee his progress.

It's worth mentioning that foreign boards have issued conditional NOCs to franchises in IPL requesting the team not to make bowlers bowl more than 24 deliveries in the nets, or to make them play a certain number of games on the trot and seek their fitness parameters regularly. A similar method is likely to be adopted by BCCI in regard to Bumrah.