Jayawardene: Bumrah in great rhythm after IPL return

Jayawardene: Bumrah in 'Good Nick' After Confident IPL Comeback

Jasprit Bumrah looked sharp, executed his plans well, and showed no signs of discomfort in his IPL 2025 return — that was Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene’s assessment after MI’s 12-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Wankhede Stadium.

Playing his first match since the New Year’s Test in Australia, Bumrah returned figures of 0 for 29 in four overs as RCB posted 221 for 5. Though wicketless, he was MI’s most economical bowler and showed glimpses of his trademark control.

“I just spoke to him after the game — he looks in good nick,” Jayawardene said. “He’s disappointed we didn’t win, but other than that, his pace was up and his execution was really good.”

Return Managed with Care

Bumrah joined the MI squad on Saturday after receiving clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (formerly the NCA). On Sunday, he bowled to batters for the first time in three months. By Monday, he was back in competitive action, eased in by the team management.

He didn’t take the new ball — Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar opened the bowling — and was introduced in the fourth over, by which point RCB were already 33 for 1.

“We’ve got two swing bowlers who deserved the new ball,” Jayawardene explained. “Bumrah’s just come back from a three-month layoff, so we wanted to ease him in. He still bowled very well and controlled things. The more game time he gets, the better he’ll be.”

Bumrah bowled one over in each phase — powerplay, middle, and two at the death — conceding just two boundaries (both sixes) in his spell. He gave away just 14 runs in his two death overs, while MI’s overall last four overs cost 52.

Presence Brings Balance

“Having Bumrah back gives us more options,” Jayawardene added. “That’s something we were missing in earlier games. With his experience and confidence, we just need to build around that and put together a complete performance.”

Bumrah’s enthusiasm was evident even before the match began. As soon as he entered the field, he walked to the pitch, mimed a few deliveries, and marked his run-up alongside other MI bowlers.

Smooth Comeback After NCA Clearance

Jayawardene also highlighted the structured return process Bumrah went through with the NCA, including multiple fitness tests and several solid practice sessions.

“He had five to six strong sessions before joining us, everything was cleared,” Jayawardene said. “The only thing missing was game time. Yesterday he bowled to batters, and today he executed really well. Out of his spell, he maybe bowled two or three balls he'd want back. That’s impressive.”

Despite Bumrah’s return, MI now find themselves with just one win in five games. But Jayawardene is optimistic that with Bumrah back in rhythm, better results aren’t far away.

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