Ought to BCCI relaxation Jasprit Bumrah from IPL earlier than 5-match Take a look at collection? India’s ex-bowling coach has this to say

After every injury or break, the question is common for Jasprit Bumrah: Why didn’t he skip IPL? With Bumrah failing to last five Test matches in England, playing only three Tests and missing the series-decider, he has found no support among former cricketers or fans. Many have blamed Bumrah for missing the crucial fifth Test in England. Others have questioned his India commitment for playing in IPL 2025 before the Test series. Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun wants BCCI to step in.

He believes it would be important for some of the crucial bowlers, like Bumrah, to skip the IPL before a five-match Test series. Australian fast bowlers like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had done that in the past.

“This (skipping IPL) would definitely help when you want to preserve bowlers. It’s okay for a batter or spinner to be playing all formats. Playing too much cricket does not give you enough time to work on the physical front. So, yes, this can definitely be looked into. People like Bumrah or any other bowler, for that matter, who we feel are very important for us to do well in one particular series, we can ensure that they can be rested from a series (IPL),” former India bowling coach Bharat Arun, who handed Bumrah his India debut, told Times of India.

Workload management concern

Even before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy began, the BCCI medical team informed the selectors that Jasprit Bumrah could only play three Tests and not the full five-match series. The decision was taken so that Bumrah does not suffer another back injury. Bumrah missed the majority of the Sydney Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy early this year. He was out for two months. However, another back injury could be career-threatening. To prevent that, the BCCI medical team and Bumrah’s surgeon advised him to reduce his workload to prolong his career.

As a result, the India team management was prepared to go without Bumrah. However, on dry docile England pitches in the first four Tests, Bumrah bowled long spells of 8-10 overs.

While Bumrah managed to bag two five-wicket hauls in three Tests to take his tally to 14 wickets, his commitment was questioned. For comparison, England captain Ben Stokes bowled 140 overs and batted for 581 deliveries in the Anderson-Tnedulkar Trophy. Stokes also bowled long spells of 10-12 overs. Bumrah bowled a total of 119.4 overs.

The BCCI is also taking necessary steps so that a player can’t play a portion of a Test series. In future, BCCI will only pick players who will be fully available. However, that could be a harsh solution.

Compensate aptly for skipping IPL

Former India captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar questioned the workload management during a Test series. He said, BCCI should have asked Mumbai Indians to rest Jasprit Bumrah or asked the player to miss the tournament. The reason is that Bumrah missed the ICC Champions Trophy only to play 12 matches in IPL 2025.

“Considering the importance of the IND vs ENG Test series and his fragile back, Bumrah should have been told by the BCCI, selectors, and the team management to miss IPL 2025. It was very important that we had a fully fit and refreshed Bumrah for such an iconic series. If I was the India chief selector, I would have convinced Mukesh Ambani and Bumrah that it was important for Bumrah to miss the IPL for the England series, or play a lesser number of matches in the IPL. I’m sure that they would have agreed to do so,” Dilip Vengarkar told Times of India.

However, that move would have prevented Bumrah from earning a whopping Rs 16 Crore from his IPL contract. It would also have been an injustice to the IPL franchise. But Bharat Arun wants the BCCI to compensate Bumrah for missing IPL to focus on Test cricket. With not many five-match Test series nowadays, Bumrah could return to IPL next season.

“He can be aptly compensated for that. If he is aptly compensated and told by BCCI, because he is in contract, ‘we want you to work on this particular aspect’, I think it is fair enough,” Bharat Arun said.