Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai Indians (MI) star pacer, return to the IPL 2025 has been delayed further. He sustained the most recent injury on the second day of the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney on January 4.

Bumrah was eventually ruled out of the Champions Trophy, which India won last month. This is Bumrah's first back ailment after undergoing surgery in March 2023.

As per ESPNCricinfo report, Bumrah, who has been in rehab since January due to stress-related pain in his lower back, is getting close to returning to play.

He has increased his bowling activity in recent weeks at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and is expected to take the last round of fitness tests.

This means that Jasprit Bumrah will not only miss Mumbai Indians' (MI) IPL 2025 game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday, but he is also uncertain for MI's next game, at home against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), on April 7.

Bumrah will not be able to join MI and participate in the IPL unless he receives clearance from the BCCI medical staff.

Bumrah, it is understood, has been careful and wants to ensure that he is fully healthy before returning to play. This is in reference to India's five-Test series in England, which begins on June 28.

MI have played three games in the IPL 2025, winning one and losing two, and have given debuts to Satyanarayana Raju, Vignesh Puthur, and Ashwani Kumar in Bumrah's absence, with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar leading the attack and Hardik Pandya the other seam-bowling option in the lineup.

Bumrah has played all of his IPL cricket for MI since 2013, taking 165 wickets in 133 matches. He has missed only one IPL season since he began playing in 2023, due to ba ack injury.

(ESPNCricinfo report)