"[Bumrah] has just started his progress. We have to wait and see what their [BCCI medical team] feedback is on him," Jayawardene said. "At the moment, everything is going well. But, obviously, it is on a day-to-day basis. He is in good spirits. Not having him is a challenge. He is one of the best bowlers in the world and he has been a fantastic pro for us for many years.

"We'll have to wait or find an opportunity for someone else to step up. That's how I see it. It gives us an element of trying a few things and see how things work. The early part of the season allows us to do that."

Bumrah has played all his IPL cricket for MI, starting in 2013 and picking up 165 wickets in 133 matches over the years. The only IPL season he missed since he started playing was in 2023, when he had a back injury.

The MI squad has Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Reece Topley and Corbin Bosch (replacement for Lizaad Williams) as the other frontline quicks, along with captain Hardik Pandya, the allrounder, and the uncapped Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar and Raj Angad Bawa. Bumrah's absence could force a rethink of MI's bowling plans, since Boult and Chahar are predominantly powerplay bowlers, leaving them short of proven T20 experience in the death.

MI's first two IPL 2025 fixtures are away. They start their campaign in Chennai against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 and then play Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 29. MI's first home match is two days later, when they host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31. They then play two matches in first week of April: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on April 4 and at home against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 7.