India pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep are unlikely to feature in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at least for the next one week. Bumrah's return may take a little longer while Akash Deep is expected to make a comeback by April 10.
Both players have not played any kind of competitive cricket since India's tour of Australia. Bumrah hasn't played ever since suffering an injury in the middle of the Sydney Test earlier this year in January. As for Akash Deep, he didn't make it to the playing XI during the series after developing some discomfort.
According to a report in Times of India, the BCCI medical team is being very careful with Bumrah with India scheduled to play a five-match Test series against England in June, soon after IPL. Even though the selectors are not expecting him to play all five Tests on the UK tour, Bumrah would be banked on to play at least two or three matches.
"Bumrah's injury is a bit more serious. The medical team wants to ensure he doesn't suffer a stress fracture. Bumrah himself is being careful. He is bowling at the CoE but it could take longer to get back in full swing. No definite timeline has been set yet, but one hopes he gets back by mid-April. Akash Deep too hopes to get back by April 10," a BCCI source said.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are eagerly waiting for Akash Deep's comeback as their bowling attack is too inexperienced at the moment. They have lost two out of three matches in the ongoing IPL season. As for Bumrah, Mumbai Indians are missing him too after retaining him as the first player ahead of mega auction. Even MI have won only one game in three outings so far in IPL 2025.