Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya finally broke his silence on the status of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of their crucial IPL 2025 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants on Friday at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Bumrah, who has been absent from the Mumbai Indians lineup throughout the season, is currently in the midst of his rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE). The absence of the team’s pace spearhead has left fans anxiously awaiting any news of his return.
Speaking at the toss, Pandya offered a glimmer of hope to the Mumbai faithful by stating, ‘Jasprit should be back soon.’ Although he did not provide a specific timeline, the update is sure to bring some relief to Mumbai Indians supporters who have keenly missed Bumrah’s bowling prowess and impact on the game. The team has yet to find its rhythm in the tournament, making Bumrah’s return all the more critical.
Hardik also shed light on the absence of another key player, Rohit Sharma. The former captain was hit on the knee during a practice session and subsequently ruled out of the match against the Super Giants. ‘Rohit was hit on the knee. He is missing out,’ Pandya confirmed after opting to bowl first following the toss. Reflecting on the pitch conditions at Ekana Stadium, he added, ‘We are gonna bowl first. Looks like a fresh wicket. Not sure how it is going to play… We are here to play good cricket. Let’s not talk about the surfaces.’
On the opposing side, Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant expressed confidence in his team’s batting line-up. ‘We are pretty confident as a batting unit. Just play the ball, watch the ball, and react. Once we get a start, we will capitalize,’ Pant stated optimistically.
The playing XIs for the match are as follows:
Mumbai Indians XI: Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Vignesh Puthur
Lucknow Super Giants XI: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan