Star pacer likely to miss IPL, board was given an option to conduct operation last year
NEW DELHI: Jasprit Bumrah's injury layoff seems to be getting longer with chances of him playing the upcoming IPL season all but gone. It is learnt that Bumrah is developing recurring niggles in his back since he was ruled out of the T20 World Cup last October.
Bumrah's case has once again raised questions over the Indian cricket board's (BCCI) injury-management programme. While former chief selector Chetan Sharma had conceded that Bumrah was rushed back into international cricket for the T20I series against Australia preceding the T20 World Cup, TOI has learnt that board has been mulling options to get a surgery done on him for a while.
"There was no official communication from the doctors about the need for surgery last year. But it was discussed verbally that a surgery may have been an option to stop this recurring injury. The option of having surgery has again opened up now. The board, selectors, team management and Bumrah will have to decide on it soon," a BCCI source told TOI.
TOI understands that the team management and the selectors decided to take an ultra-cautious approach with Bumrah keeping the ODI World Cup this October in mind. The star pacer was selected for an ODI series against Sri Lanka at home in the first week of January. However, he was pulled out on the eve of the first match in Guwahati. "It was decided that he will be protected and played only when he felt absolutely ready to endure the rigours of international cricket. The objective was to play him in the World Test Championship Final in June and the ODI World Cup. He had resumed bowling at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru but the injury keeps flaring up," the source added.
The NCA has been under scrutiny for years now. It had copped a lot of criticism for its handling the injuries of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Wriddhiman Saha. Deepak Chahar breaking down frequently during matches has also not reflected well on NCA.
After another disappointing T20 World Cup campaign last November, the BCCI had decided that it will have the first say on players' workload during the IPL since it's a World Cup year. The selectors had identified a pool of probable players for the World Cup and created a database on their workload management. The board and NCA are treating the Bumrah's matter on an urgent basis. But the question remains: has it already been delayed?
