With the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) there is a lot of interest in the availability of some Indian stars for the cash-rich domestic T20 league.
The 16th edition of the IPL is scheduled to be held from March 31 to May 28. One of the players the fans want to see returning to action is Jasprit Bumrah, who is recuperating from his injury and has missed a few series in the last few months.
The right-arm quick has not played any cricket since the T20I series against Australia at home in September 2022 and has undergone rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, Bumrah is yet to get a clearance from the NCA. Fans were expecting to see Bumrah in action in the last two series against Australia in Indore and Ahmedabad.
However, the selectors did not pick him for either the Test team or the ODI squad against Australia. It is now clear that he was not considered for the matches against Australia because he is yet to get clearance from the NCA.
The report further said that Bumrah had featured in some practice matches at the NCA facility in the last 10 days but is still waiting for clearance. The BCCI is constantly monitoring Bumrah's progress and will also keep an eye on his workload as per its usual programme.
The board seems cautious on this front as it is looking at his participation in the World Test Championship Final to be played in London in July and the ODI World Cup to be held later in the year in India.
But the BCCI will also have to balance the interests of five-time winner Mumbai Indians, who would like their most-potent bowler back in full flow. Mumbai Indians had a harrowing season last year and will be hoping to have Bumrah back in their fold.
But with BCCI treading cautiously to manage the workload for Bumrah, Mumbai Indians will now have to hold on to their aspirations for IPL 2023.