MI vs RR LIVE: Mumbai Indians have got a major boost ahead of their matchup with the Rajasthan Royals as star pacer Jofra Archer is set to return after sitting out Tuesday’s match against the Gujarat Titans. Archer headed to Belgium for minor surgery on his problematic right elbow during a brief recent absence from the Indian Premier League. With what his franchise coach Mark Boucher referred to as “a little niggle,” Archer made his Mumbai Indians debut against Punjab Kings on Saturday after missing 19 days and four games. Archer reached 90 mph on his way back and showed no signs of discomfort. Follow IPL 2023 LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN
It is said that after the specialist’s evaluation, Archer underwent “a minor procedure” before departing for India. The sixth surgery for Archer in 25 months was anticipated to take him out of action for two to four weeks, with a lower end of that range being his return if it was successful. He participated on Saturday, received respite for Mumbai’s match on Tuesday against Gujarat Titans, and is scheduled to play this weekend against Rajasthan Royals.
The fact that Archer has returned so quickly shows that the surgery did not significantly impact Archer’s ability to participate in the Ashes this summer. Since early 2021, Archer has endured a terrible injury history. He had ongoing elbow issues that year, which were ultimately determined to be stress fractures, keeping him out of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. A stress fracture in his back rendered him unfit last year, just as he was about to resume action.
Due to his injury, Archer’s employers and the player have become more cautious about how they treat his body. Ben Langley, a longtime friend of Archer and a former member of England’s backroom staff, is Mumbai’s head of science and medical and is in continuous contact with the ECB. The player and ECB physio Steve Gryphon spent some time together at the IPL. Archer was purchased by Mumbai for INR 8 crore in the IPL auction in 2022.
In 2019, Archer’s first summer of international cricket, he lit up the Ashes series, and England is still clamouring for him to play in it. Ben Stokes, the captain of England, has made it known that he needs speed in his bowling lineup. The obvious bowlers to supply that are Archer and Wood. Archer has made a point of controlling expectations. In Bangladesh, he stated that he would consider it a “bonus” if he were to play more than one Ashes game this summer.
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