Jammu and Kashmir pacer Umran Malik is all set to make his comeback to competitive cricket after being on the sidelines for months. The fast-bowler will be a part of J&K’s second round match in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament. Malik, who made his debut in 2023, missed the entire 2024/25 domestic season and IPL 2025 as he was battling injuries.
Malik vows to make strong comeback
As per ESPNCricinfo, Umran revealed that he was struggling with injuries for the last 7-8 months. The J&K pacer claimed that he had completely recovered from his hip & hamstring injuries, and hoped to create an impression in the Buchi Babu Tournament and in the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy.
“Yeah, I’ll be bowling in full rhythm now. I’m a sportsman and I don’t pay attention to social media. Actually, I want to play cricket. I just want to protect my body from injuries, and I want to play cricket well. I want to play for India and that’s my aim. I will play the matches after this Buchi Babu, and I think the Ranji Trophy. Hopefully, I can take wickets and make a comeback,” Malik said.
Malik was last seen in action in IPL 2024 where he played just one match and finished with zero wickets to his name. The pacer made his IPL debut in 2021 and had his best season in 2022 where he picked 22 wickets from 14 games and turned heads with his ability to bowl at a fiery pace. However, despite being awarded a fast-bowling contract in 2024, he was sidelined due to injuries. He has played 8 T20Is and 10 ODIs so far, in which he has managed to bag 11 and 13 wickets respectively.
Umran was released by SRH ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction after spending 4 seasons with the Orange Army. He was then bought by KKR for Rs 75 lakhs but did not even play a single game for them.
