Jesse Toohey | 2:23am BST 30 March 2025
The 2025 season of the Indian Premier League began on March 21. This tournament is known for its incredible line-up with world-class cricketers from around the world taking part. The start of this season in particular revealed two of Mumbai Indian’s (MI) biggest players being absent: Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. This has already caused ripples throughout the cricketing world. This article is going to take a closer look at these absences and consider how these absences have already affected the season and the potential impacts they could have on the rest of the season.
Jasprit Bumrah
The right-arm fast bowler has played for the Mumbai Indians for years as well as the Indian national team. He first joined the Mumbai Indians back in 2013 and has been an integral part of the team ever since. Bumrah is now considered to be one of the world’s premier fast bowlers. His recent injury which came earlier in the year, is expected to leave a huge absence in the team and have a huge impact on their performance.
Bumrah is unable to compete in the IPL 2025 as a result of a back injury. This has kept him out of the game for a while and has meant that he has been out of action for some time. His injury was first noticed during India’s Test series in Australia earlier in the year. Experts and fans are expecting him to be out of action for a while, especially as his injury has required extensive rehabilitation. He is continuing his recovery at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. There’s no timeline as to when he will be ready to return to his team. However, recent news has confirmed that the player is back on his feet and in the bowling nets at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). This is great news that is helping to keep fans hopeful. While he may not be able to play this season, there are hopes for tournaments later on in the year.
Hardik Pandya
If Bumrah’s absence wasn’t enough, the Mumbai Indians had to deal with the absence of Hardik Pandya for their opening match of the IPL 2025. The MI’s regular captain had to serve a one-match suspension for a slow over-rate infringement. This happened in a match during the IPL 2024, where MI was penalized for exceeding the allowed time to bowl their overs during a match against Lucknow Super Giants. Pandya has led the team in recent years. His absence in this match meant that the team was lacking its captain on the field. Suryakumar Yadav took over his position for this match.
The suspension meant that Pandya missed the Mumbai Indian’s opening game of the season. This saw them go up against the Chennai Super Kings on March 23. Unfortunately, the MIs were unable to secure a win. They batted first, posting a total of 155/9 in their 20 overs. However, CSK successfully chased down the target and reached 158/6 in 19.1 overs. They secured a four-wicket victory with 5 balls remaining.
The impact of key absences
The absence of these two players has had a huge impact on the team. Hardik Pandya is now back on the pitch with his team, but they will still need to navigate their strategy without Bumrah. Their biggest challenge will, of course, be in the bowling department. MI will have to rely on other bowlers on the team like Trent Boult, Karn Sharma and Deepak Chahar to fill the role Bumrah occupies. While Archer is an incredibly skilled player who was brought on to strengthen MI’s fast bowling attack, these are still big shoes to fill. Especially as the pressure is on for the player.
The absence of Bumrah has also caused a shift in betting odds for the IPL 2025. Bumrah’s absence would have likely lowered their odds of winning. As well as their absence of Pandya in their first game and the loss that followed it. However, their recent win against the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 31. While the odds for this match aren’t yet available, fans can take advantage of the 1xBET promotion for players from India and take advantage when they are released. Just remember to always play responsibly and never beyond your means.
Their performance so far
The Mumbai Indians have experienced a mixed start to their IPL 2025 season. They were at a disadvantage during their opening match thanks to the suspension of their captain. This saw them (155/9 in 20 overs) lose to the Chennai Super Kings (158/6 in 19.1 overs) by four wickets.
Their next match took place on March 29. Even with the return of their captain, they still suffered a loss. The Gujarat Titans (196/8 in 20 overs) were able to take victory over the Mumbai Indians (160/6 in 20 overs) by 36 runs.
March 31 saw an improvement for the Mumbai Indians. They were able to take the win (121/2 in 12.5 overs) from the Kolkata Knight Riders (116/10 in 16.2 overs) by 8 wickets.
Looking ahead
Although the Mumbai Indians have had some setbacks, the team is still fully capable of bouncing back. While the absence of Pandya was temporary, the team will still have to adjust without Bumrah. Especially as there is still no word on when he will be fit to return. The team had a bumpy start with two losses, however, their win against the Kolkata Knight Riders has brought fans some hope for their success for the rest of the season. Their next match will see them take on the Lucknow Super Giants on April 4.
The IPL season offers excitement and incredible gameplay and 2025 is expected to be no different. It will be interesting to see how the Mumbai Indians will bounce back after a rough start. The road to the playoffs has become a little more challenging. This is a crucial time for the team to adapt and show that they are fully capable of facing the challenges that are in front of them.
