Michael Clarke, the former Australia captain, thinks Jasprit Bumrah’s injury could mess up Mumbai Indians’ (MI) chances in the IPL 2025. Bumrah’s going to miss the start of the tournament because he’s recovering from a back injury at the BCCI center in Bengaluru. MI’s coach, Mahela Jayawardene, said Bumrah needs time to get back to normal, and it’s a big loss for the team as they try to win their sixth IPL title.
Talking on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Clarke wondered if Bumrah will be as good as he was before, saying he’ll need time to get back in shape.
I’m worried about Bumrah. He hasn’t played any cricket, and he’s missing the first part of the tournament, so he won’t be at his best in the first game. I know he’s amazing and can grab five wickets, but I think he’ll get better as the tournament continues. I just don’t know. If Mumbai doesn’t have Bumrah, they’re going to have a tough time, Clarke said.
Bumrah hasn’t played since the Test against Australia in Sydney in early January. He couldn’t bowl in the second innings, and he also missed India’s Champions Trophy win.
When asked who he thinks will win IPL 2025, Clarke picked SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), even though he thinks their bowling will be the key.
I’m probably a bit biased. I’m going with Pat Cummins and Sunrisers Hyderabad because I like them. Go Aussies! But again, I think the bowling is important for Sunrisers. Their batting is good enough to win, no doubt. Patty has probably learned a lot as a captain, so he’ll be even better this year. But it’s all about their bowling. Their fast bowlers can’t get injured. Their death bowling is so important, and he [Cummins] is a big part of that, he added.
For SRH, the biggest problem for the bowlers is the flat pitch at Uppal.
But with Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami, they have two smart players who can do well if the batting scores a lot of runs.
The third Indian fast bowler might be a weak spot, but Harshal Patel is good at bowling at the end of an inning, even if he gives up a lot of runs.
They have a wrist spinner in Adam Zampa, but it might be tough to play him in every game. So, Rahul Chahar and Abhishek Sharma’s slow bowling will come in handy.