Why is Jasprit Bumrah not playing today's CSK vs MI IPL 2025 match?
The highly-anticipated 'El Clasico' of the IPL is set to begin with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on the Mumbai Indians (MI) at Chepauk on Sunday, March 23. Both teams will look for a strong start to their IPL 2025 season after missing the playoffs last year.
However, MI will have to do without the services of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the first few matches of the tournament. The 31-year-old, who hasn't played any competitive cricket since sustaining a back injury in the final Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is still to be cleared for return.
Latest reports suggest that Jasprit Bumrah has returned to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for a second time to complete his recovery and seek confirmation on his return date.
The champion pacer was in red-hot form in IPL 2024 despite MI's struggles, finishing with 20 wickets in 13 outings at an average of 16.80 and an economy of 6.48.
CSK have won their last three IPL meetings against MI, with their last loss coming in their wretched 2022 campaign. Meanwhile, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to bowl first.
"They definitely have the upper hand" - Kedhar Jadhav on CSK ahead of their game vs MI
Former CSK and Indian all-rounder Kedhar Jadhav feels the absence of Jasprit Bumrah gives the Men in Yellow an edge over their arch-rivals in the blockbuster IPL 2025 clash.
MI hold a slim 20-17 edge over CSK but have never won their opening game in the IPL since 2013.
In a conversation with India Today, JioStar expert Jadhav said:
"First of all, they need to play much better than CSK, and since CSK is playing at their home ground, they definitely have the upper hand. It is very important that MI’s combination is fixed from the very first match. They shouldn’t repeat what happened last year when things didn’t go so well, because they don’t have much time for trial and error."
He added:
"But when you look at Jasprit Bumrah, I doubt he’ll be available from the first match. So, given MI’s streak, instead of talking too much about it, I’d say it’s going to be difficult because beating CSK in Chennai is one of the most difficult tasks for any team."
After incredible back-to-back title runs in 2019 and 2020, MI have struggled in the subsequent IPL editions, missing the playoffs in three of the last four seasons.