IPL 2023: Five Bowlers Who Can Replace Jasprit Bumrah in Mumbai Indians Squad

Ahead of the start of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), Mumbai Indians have suffered a huge blow as their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been out of action at the international arena since September 2022 due to back issues and missed the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, Bangladesh tour and the home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, is all set to miss the entire season of the IPL 2023. He is expected to fly to New Zealand to undergo surgery for his back injury.

Bumrah, who’s been spearheading the bowling attack since Lasith Malinga’s retirement, has been an integral part of the Mumbai setup. There’s no shadow of a doubt that he will be missed in this year’s IPL. With the cricketer forced to withdraw due to injury, the question is who will replace the star pacer in the lineups for both the national team and the Mumbai Indians. Bumrah’s replacement needs to be found out.

Here Are 5 Bowlers Who Could Be in Line to Replace Jasprit Bumrah in the Mumbai Indians Squad:

1) Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma is an IPL veteran. Having made his IPL debut in 2013, he has experience of 104 matches in which he has claimed 114 wickets at an average of 26.33. He maintains an impressive economy rate of 7.77. The right-arm seamer was among the wickets in every season from 2014 to 2020, first representing Punjab Kings and then Sunrisers Hyderabad. But the last few years have been tough for him. He could only pick three wickets in seven matches in IPL 2021 and two scalps in five matches during the 2022 edition. However, the 29-year-old Punjab bowler has displayed good form recently in domestic cricket, claiming 13 wickets in seven games during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

2) Varun Aaron

Aaron was part of the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans squad that won the IPL 2022. The Jharkhand-born pacer could only make two appearances for the defending champions and picked up two wickets. As the season progressed, he missed many matches due to injury concerns that’s why the Ahmedabad-based franchise decided not to retain him for this year’s IPL. In the mini-auction, the veteran Indian pacer failed to attract buyers and went unsold. Aaron, who has 44 wickets to his name in the 52 IPL matches, has express pace like Jofra Archer and can move the ball upfront in the powerplay overs which is why MI might consider signing him.

3) Dhawal Kulkarni

A local Mumbai lad, Kulkarni has wealth of experience playing the IPL. For the record, he has featured in 92 matches and taken 86 wickets after making his debut, way back in 2008. He has a long history with the five-time champions. In fact, the last time Kulkarni played in the IPL, he turned out for MI. His inconsistency is the reason he has failed to get a consistent run with an IPL franchise. His current form has been good, he has been doing well for Mumbai in domestic circles. swings the ball and has the ability to take wickets in the powerplay.

Having the experience of playing in the MI setup before and the understanding of the conditions in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium makes Kulkarni the frontrunner to replace Bumrah in the squad. The veteran brings experience to the Mumbai pace attack and is certainly a name worth considering given his experience.

4) Vijaykumar Vyshak

Over the years, Mumbai Indians have built the reputation of being home to many budding uncapped players. Not just making those exciting players part of the franchise but also giving opportunities to them. Jasprit Bumrah is probably the best example of that. Last year, Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis, and Hrithik Shokeen were given chances to showcase their talent. Similarly, MI can add Vijaykumar Vyshak, an uncapped fast bowler from Karnataka, to their setup in order to continue their legacy of unearthing talent.

Vyshak’s name has been making rounds since his exceptional performances for Karnataka in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022. He accounted for 15 wickets in 8 matches. What stands out is his economy rate- 6.31. Maintaining such an economy in a format like T20 throughout the competition speaks volumes about the young seamer. If he gets picked as Bumrah’s replacement, he can be Mumbai’s Dark Horse in this year’s IPL.

5) Ankit Rajpoot

It is well known that the conditions in Mumbai have been favourable to the fast bowlers. Considering this Ankit Rajpoot can be in contention to replace Bumrah in the MI squad. The tall lanky pacer from Uttar Pradesh, has considerable IPL experience, playing in 29 IPL matches, and picking 24 wickets. Rajpoot has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit but failed to make an impression in the cash-rich league. He remained on the bench throughout the IPL 2022 for Lucknow and went unsold in the IPL 2023 auction.

The 29-year-old pacer is known for bowling at a decent pace and the ability to extract extra bounce to his height. Rajpoot has the skill to move the new ball. Not just that but he can be used as a middle-overs enforcer to pick wickets. MI has limited options to choose from, so a bowler like Rajpoot can be a very good option, given his experience and current form in the domestic circuit.