In 6 days, the Mumbai Indians (MI) will commence their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium. Yet, Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t joined their pre-season camp.
Alongside Sanju Samson, Bumrah was the standout performer for India in the semifinal and final of the T20 World Cup 2026. In some people’s eyes, he was the ‘player of the tournament’. He was rapid, reaching up to 146 kilometres. The Bumrah of old was back.
Bumrah in Karnataka instead of Mumbai
But, 2 weeks later, Bumrah hasn’t started to train for the IPL 2026. Instead, he’s checked into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE). According to the Times of India, the 32-year-old pacer is in Karnataka.
Whether Bumrah is injured or is there for a routine checkup isn’t confirmed. Throughout the T20 World Cup, he showed no signs of physical fragility. This suggests that he might be there for assessment. One can’t forget that he’s the biggest asset in world cricket and the BCCI has done everything in its power to keep him fit.
Despite receiving flak, he was rested for 2 matches in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy last year. He hasn’t played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup. All things suggest that Bumrah is fit. But a few days ago, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene had stated that all players, including those who were part of the T20 World Cup, will join the squad by March 22.
“Every year, our aim is to get there (win the IPL trophy). But I know it’s a long season. So pre-season will start the way we usually start, working hard, getting new boys into the setup. And with our (T20) World Cup guys, we’ve given them a bit of an extended break so that they will join us next weekend. The overseas guys also flew home, and then they will join us. But they’ll have a good week of training with us before the first game,” Jayawardene had said during the MI Junior season at the MIG Cricket Club Ground.
Yet to join Mumbai Indians
That hasn’t happened. Bumrah hasn’t even reached Mumbai, forget starting training. Knowing the issues the modern great has had with fitness and injuries, one can’t rule anything out. Although he didn’t toil hard during the T20 World Cup, especially like he did in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, he might need more rest.
In IPL 2025, he wasn’t available for the first 4 matches since he was recovering from a back injury. If MI want to lift a record-breaking 6th title, they’ll need a fit Bumrah and will hope that his visit to CoE is nothing but a formality.
Cricket
Another injury concern for Jasprit Bumrah? Mumbai Indians pacer checks into BCCI CoE before IPL 2026
