Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has reached the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru just a few days before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season commences. Mumbai Indians, the IPL team that Bumrah plays for, will begin their 2026 season with a home match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 29 March.
While there were concerns of a fresh injury setback just days before IPL 2026, Jasprit Bumrah has reported at the CoE only for a routine checkup on his workload management.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the Gujarat pacer is at the CoE to mainly work on his strength and conditioning, which has been devised by the BCCI medical team.
Why Jasprit Bumrah is at CoE just days before IPL 2026
The main reason for Bumrah to undergo training at the CoE rather than join his Mumbai Indians teammates in Mumbai is to help himself remain fit with India’s white-ball tour of England coming up in July.
The Men in Blue will play five T20Is and three ODIs against England in England, with the series starting with the shortest format on 1 July.
Mumbai Indians players, including those who recently won the T20 World Cup, have already assembled in Mumbai for training ahead of IPL 2026. The Hardik Pandya-led side haven’t won the IPL since clinching their fifth and latest title in 2020, when they beat Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final.
While Bumrah will continue his bowling practice at CoE, he will link up with Mumbai Indians just in time for their IPL 2026 season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders in four days’ time.
The 32-year-old was recently part of the India squad that won the 2026 T20 World Cup. India successfully defended the title by beating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final in Ahmedabad.
Bumrah, who registered figures of 4/15, was adjudged the Player of the Match. He finished the tournament as the joint-highest wicket-taker, with 14 wickets from eight matches, the same as his teammate Varun Chakravarthy, who did so in nine innings.
Bumrah’s workload has been consistently monitored by the BCCI due to his recurring back injuries. In March 2023, he underwent a back surgery to treat a lower-back stress fracture. He went on to play the ODI World Cup later that year, taking 20 wickets from 11 matches.
However, during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Sydney early last year, Bumrah sustained a back spasm while bowling. He was taken off the field, and missed the home limited-overs series against England as well as the 2025 Champions Trophy that India won.
The right-arm pacer has played only for Mumbai Indians throughout his IPL career, since making his IPL debut in 2013. He has played a total of 145 matches in the IPL and has taken 183 wickets at an economy rate of 7.25.
