Jasprit Bumrah shares picture of bowling spikes, hints at return to bowling

India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah who underwent back surgery in March in New Zealand and has since then been undergoing rehabilitation might soon be back into action as the right-arm seamer has shared an intriguing post on Instagram.

Bumrah took to Instagram to drop a hint that he might take the field again. Bumrah posted a picture of his bowling spikes and captioned the post as, "Hello friend, we meet again."

The 29-year-old began his rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in April as confirmed by a press release from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and hence wasn't able to participate in the IPL 2023 for Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai Indians fall inches short of fifth IPL title in Bumrah's absence

Jasprit Bumrah's injury came as a major setback for the five-time champions as his absence created a massive void in Mumbai's bowling attack. Mumbai had their hopes pinned on England's ace pacer Jofra Archer but Archer's recurring elbow issue made matters worse for them and the Rohit Sharma-led side was always under the pump due to their depleted bowling attack.

Archer donned the blue jersey on the field for Mumbai on five occasions and could only bag two scalps at an underwhelming economy rate of 9.5. During the season several reports emerged that suggested the 28-year-old tearaway pacer had gone to Belgium to undergo a minor surgery.

Injuries to top pacers in the camp presented golden opportunities to other pacers like Jason Behrendorff and Akash Madhwal and both seamers gave their personal best to Mumbai's cause and propelled them to Qualifier 2.

Behrendorff opened the bowling for the Rohit Sharma-led side and snared 14 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 9.21. On the other hand, he was ably supported by Madhwal who claimed 14 wickets in eight games that he played during the 2023 season at an economy rate of 8.59. 

Madhwal's impressive season included a stunning spell of 5/5 that he recorded in 3.3 overs in the Eliminator against the Krunal Pandya-led Lucknow Super Giants on May 24.