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No IPL For Jasprit Bumrah? Shane Bond Warns India Star Of 'Career-Ending' Injury Scare

Soumyajit Dutta

Jasprit Bumrah and Shane Bond [Source: @yugfunde/X.com]Jasprit Bumrah and Shane Bond [Source: @yugfunde/X.com]

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Former New Zealand pace ace Shane Bond has issued a stark warning about Jasprit Bumrah’s recurring back injury, stressing that another setback in the same region “could be a career-ender.” Bond spoke out of concern for Bumrah as he was also his mentor in the Mumbai Indians camp.

Bond, who battled chronic back issues that forced his premature retirement, shared his concerns during a candid discussion on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day show amid the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Shane Bond Opens Up On Bumrah's Injury And Recovery

Bumrah has been sidelined since January 2025, when he exited the Sydney Test with what was initially termed “back spasms.” Scans later revealed a stress-related injury in the same area where he underwent surgery in March 2023. 

The ace pacer is currently rehabilitating at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, with no clarity on his return timeline or participation in IPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians (MI). Bond emphasized the fragility of the situation.

“When he went off for scans, it was at Sydney, there was some messaging coming up around that he had sprains and stuff like that. I worried that it wasn't going to be a sprain, it might be a bony injury around that area. I thought he may struggle to make the Champions Trophy if it was.”

Bond’s career trajectory mirrors Bumrah’s current crossroads. The Kiwi speedster underwent back surgery at 29, but persistent injuries forced him to retire at 34. 

The ‘Danger Zone’ of T20 to Test Transition

Bond pinpointed the rapid shift from T20 cricket to Tests as a critical risk factor for fast bowlers. With India slated to play a five-Test series in England starting June 28, barely a month after IPL 2025 concludes on May 25, he urged extreme caution in managing Bumrah’s workload.

“Anywhere you transition from particularly T20 to a Test match, it's challenging... In T20, particularly in the IPL, when you might be playing three games in a week, there's two days of travel, you might get one training (session). That’s a big jump when you transition out of that.”

Bond Emphasizes On Bumrah's Workload Management

Bond highlighted Bumrah’s heavy load during India’s 2024-25 Australia tour, where he bowled 151.2 overs across five Tests, including a marathon 52 overs in the Boxing Day Test. For the England series, he proposed strict limits.

“Looking at five Tests in England, I wouldn't want to be playing him in any more than two in a row. Coming out of the back end of the IPL into a Test match is going to be a huge risk. If he has another injury in the same spot, that could be a career-ender, potentially, because I'm not sure you can have surgery on that spot again.”

With the IPL being Bumrah’s only competitive cricket before the England tour, Bond called the tournament “touch and go” for the pacer.

“There will be an element of risk depending on the intensity that he's bowling at by the time he gets back.”

With injury risk on the line, Bumrah is undergoing recovery as reports have surfaced that the star bowler might miss the first two weeks of IPL 2025 as well. Nevertheless, MI will begin their campaign against Chennai on March 23.