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Jasprit Bumrah Cleared for IPL Opener, Confirms Mumbai Indians Coach

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed that star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is back with the squad and available for selection for their IPL 2026 opener. Bumrah had been at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence for workload management following a congested cricket calendar. Jayawardene explained that bowlers, in particular, faced heavy workloads leading into and during the recent T20 World Cup. The team anticipated such challenges and is prepared to manage player fitness throughout the tournament.

Key Points: Bumrah Available for MI's IPL 2026 Opener vs KKR

  • Bumrah returns from workload management
  • Available for MI's first IPL 2026 match
  • Coach cites intense pre-IPL schedule
  • Team prepared to manage player fitness
2 min read

"Bumrah is back with the squad; available to play": Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene confirms Jasprit Bumrah is back with the squad and available to play against Kolkata Knight Riders.

"Bumrah is back with the squad. He's available to play. - Mahela Jayawardene"

Mumbai, March 28

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene announced that ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah is back and available to play in the team's first match of the Indian Premier League 2026 against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium here.

Jasprit Bumrah, earlier in the month, reported to the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for workload management ahead of the, according to ESPNcricinfo.

However, speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the campaign-opener, MI head coach has confirmed that Bumrah is back with the squad and available to play against KKR.

"Bumrah is back with the squad. He's available to play," Mahela Jayawardene said.

Jayawardene further explained that players, especially bowlers, had heavy workloads due to continuous cricket leading up to and during the 2026 T20 World Cup, and said such challenges were expected, requiring careful management during the IPL.

"They all had to build up to the World Cup. The World Cup was quite intense as well. I mean, there was a lot of cricket played. There were a couple of Test series going as well before that. And then leading up to the T20 World Cup, there were a lot of bilateral tournaments. The workloads of some of them, I mean, most of them are bowlers who needed that bit of extra bake. And then the World Cup itself was quite high intensity, travelling, playing," he said.

"That's part and parcel of it. And we knew that going into this IPL, there will be those kind of situations. So we just have to manage that," Jayawardene added.

Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2026:

Hardik Pandya (captain), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickleton, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Naman Dhir, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Allah Ghafanzar, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Danish Malewar, Mohammad Izhar, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
BCCI really needs to look at the scheduling. Players are not machines. Glad Bumrah got some rest, but the workload management talk every season is worrying.
R
Rohit P
As a cricket lover from Mumbai, I'm thrilled! But let's be honest, the squad looks a bit thin in the middle order. Hope the young players step up.
S
Sarah B
Interesting mix of players. Good to see a balance of experience and youth. Bumrah's fitness is key for India's future tours too, not just IPL.
V
Vikram M
Boom Boom is back! 🎉 The Wankhede will erupt when he comes on to bowl. KKR batters, be ready for some chin music!
M
Michael C
Respectfully, while Bumrah's return is great, the focus should be on managing him for the long term. One injury can set back the national team significantly. The NCA and franchises need better coordination.
A
Ananya R
Finally some positive news! The last two seasons were tough without our main bowler. Hope he takes it easy and doesn't rush back. Health is wealth, yaar.

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