Are MI And IPL To Be Blamed As Bumrah Faces Age-Old Money Over Country Criticism?

Jasprit Bumrah faces backlash for missing crucial Test vs ENG [Source: @illuminantsj, @kaustats/X]

What if you realise that you have prepared for the wrong subject in the eleventh hour of the day of your exam on a different topic? What if you lose your passport right after landing in a foreign country? What if you wake up from deep sleep and see a fire has broken out in your house?

The feeling will be no less than a nightmare, right? This is precisely how the Indian fans felt when a report from ESPNCricinfo broke the news of Jasprit Bumrah getting sidelined from the decider against England at Kennington Oval. 

Injury and workload management are the two most commonly used terms whenever Jasprit Bumrah is the focal point of a cricketing discussion these days. Despite being one of the most complete fast bowlers of all time, Bumrah has missed plenty of action due to multiple injury setbacks. 

But when it comes to accountability, are the fast bowler and his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians, the only ones to blame?

Bumrah's History Of Injuries And Real Workload

Jasprit Bumrah's recurring back injury in 2022 is undoubtedly the most career-threatening setback he has ever faced. It took him around one year to rehabilitate and make his way back to the cricket field. 

However, if we collect the data, Bumrah has been India's most active fast bowler since his comeback in August 2023 to date. Statistically, he has bowled the most deliveries among the fast bowlers in this period, recording 679.5 overs across formats. 

Thus, the claim that Bumrah receives royal treatment from the Indian management while his peers have carried the Indian bowling with more dedication lacks solid evidence. 

Recovering from stress fractures and delivering these many overs with the utmost success is not child's play. Thus, the real workload on the fast bowler has actually been more than what it looks from the outside. 

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India's Lack Of Resources And Over-Dependence On Bumrah Magic

(India's frontline pacers since 2023 WTC final)

We are all aware of Jasprit Bumrah's sheer ability to change the course of the game in the blink of an eye. He can swing the new ball up front, test the batters with pace and seam movement. He also has a well-disguised slow ball, an accurate yorker, and cutters in his arsenal, and hence is pretty much capable of outfoxing the grittiest of batters across formats. 

India, in fact, none of the present-day teams have a fast bowler as complete as Jasprit Bumrah. As Virat Kohli once stated, he is indeed India's national treasure. However, Bumrah being so good has somewhere made India over-reliant on him, particularly in an era when Shami, Ishant and Umesh are no longer in the BCCI's scheme of things. 

Statistically, Bumrah has delivered 513.2 overs in Tests, the second-highest after Mohammed Siraj (527.1), since the completion of the WTC 2023 final. 

India's lack of resources has forced them to use Bumrah at full tilt in the game that he plays, while also minimising the chances of him playing two consecutive matches. 

Practically, Bumrah gets over-bowled in certain matches and needs ample rest to manage his problematic back before getting fitness clearance to play another game. 

The Classic MI And IPL Blame Game Dismissed

Whenever Jasprit Bumrah misses an international match to manage his workload, India's passionate fans take a dig at Mumbai Indians, the franchise he plays for in the IPL. 

Fans expect Bumrah to skip the IPL and make himself fully committed to the Indian team. But that's not how it works; in fact, renowned fitness experts always opine in favour of a fast bowler's continuous involvement in the game rather than a prolonged hibernation. 

Having said that, a fast bowler prone to back issues mustn't be over-bowled, neither in the IPL nor at the international level. If the BCCI and MI genuinely mean that Bumrah is a national treasure, they should work collaboratively to ensure he is used judiciously. 

But again, keeping the national sentiment aside, an IPL franchise has practically nothing to do if India suffer due to the absence of their premier bowlers. All they can do is to protect Bumrah from injuries, and it's fair to say that they have taken care of him over the years. 

Also, given that Bumrah brings an enormous face value, just for being not less than Kohli and Rohit, makes his presence even more crucial from IPL's financial point of view, which forms the foundation of the modern-day Indian cricket. 

Thus, it's comparatively easy for anyone sitting outside to play the nationalist card and put the blame solely on Bumrah, who has been no less than a workhorse for India. Meanwhile, it's also absurd to completely neglect all facets of the issue, which is far more complex than it seems. 

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