5 days ago
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The Mumbai Indians (MI) might end the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season without testing Mohammed Izhar. The 5-time champions were eliminated on May 10. Since then, they have been playing for pride and for the future. It’s been a rough two seasons, and Mumbai will most likely cut some players. So, they’ve been experimenting.
Raghu Sharma and Corbin Bosch have become regulars. Deepak Chahar has returned. Mumbai has tried all but one player, and that’s Izhar. Despite struggling to take wickets in the player, the Hardik Pandya-led team didn’t field Izhar. Instead, they chose to revert to Chahar.
No rest for Bumrah in MI’s last game
One thought: Jasprit Bumrah might be rested for the last couple of games at least, since India were to play an ODI series and a one-off Test against Afghanistan in June. But the veteran fast bowler has been rested. The squad came out on May 19, and subsequently, Mumbai fielded Bumrah against the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 20.
Mumbai’s head coach, Mahela Jayawardena, had created a bit of controversy that Bumrah was playing with a niggle in the earlier stages of the tournament, but continued playing.
Jasprit Bumrah has played all matches (13) but hasn’t looked at his best (4 wickets at 102.50) | Image Credit: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool via AlamySince then, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia has clarified that the board has left the franchises in charge of players’ fitness.
If Mumbai hasn’t rested him before, Bumrah won’t be rested now. The same goes for Chahar. Now that he’s doing well in the powerplay again, one can’t expect that Mumbai and Pandya will rest him either. As a result, Izhar, a left-arm fast bowler who can do well in the powerplay, will warm the bench again.
Predicted MI Playing XI vs RR
| 1 | Ryan Rickelton (wk) | Wicketkeeper |
| 2 | Naman Dhir | Top-order batter |
| 3 | Suryakumar Yadav | Middle-order batter |
| 4 | Tilak Varma | Middle-order batter |
| 5 | Hardik Pandya (c) | All-rounder (pace) |
| 6 | Will Jacks | Batting all-rounder (spin) |
| 7 | Corbin Bosch | Bowling all-rounder (pace) |
| 8 | Deepak Chahar | Bowling all-rounder (pace) |
| 9 | Allah Ghazanfar | Mystery spinner |
| 10 | Jasprit Bumrah | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 11 | Raghu Sharma | Leg spinner |
| Impact Sub | Rohit Sharma | Opener |
The post Predicted MI Playing XI vs RR: No IND vs AFG selection, no rest for Jasprit Bumrah? appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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