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Bharat Arun suggests Jasprit Bumrah and key bowlers should skip IPL for fitness before major India series.
Jasprit Bumrah took 14 wickets in three Tests against England. (PTI Photo)
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun is in favor of ace players like Jasprit Bumrah skipping the IPL if it means they can be fit for an international series lined up afterwards. Arun said the message will have to come from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the players will also need to be ‘adequately compensated’ for their time, but it would help maintain their long-term fitness.
The comments come amid the debates that have followed Bumrah everywhere since the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He picked up a serious back injury in January, made his comeback during the IPL, and featured in 12 games straight as the Mumbai Indians reached the second Qualifier. As the season’s end was delayed to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, the England Test series started only weeks later.
Bumrah (and captain Shubman Gill and chief selector Ajit Agarkar) declared beforehand that he’d play only three of the five Tests. That’s what he did, even if it meant missing the final game with the series on the line. Now, he’s back available for the Asia Cup 2025, again in T20 format, which begins in September.
“Definitely, this (resting players during IPL) would help,” Arun told The Times of India. “Especially when you want to preserve bowlers. Like, it’s okay for a batter or a spinner to play all formats. But for a fast bowler, yes — playing too much cricket doesn’t give enough time to work on the physical front. So yes, this definitely can be looked into. People like Bumrah or any other bowler we feel is very important for a particular series can be rested, and they can also be adequately compensated,” he added.
“If he’s properly compensated and then told by the BCCI, because he’s on contract, that we want you to work on this particular aspect of your game, I think that’s fair enough,” Arun added.
Arun cited the examples of Cricket Australia and how players like Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are happy to skip IPL if an international series is on the line. Indians have never done such thing, though.
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