Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah has linked up with the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad on the eve of their first Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. The Indian Express understands that the 32-year-old joined the MI squad on Friday evening and will have his first practice session on Saturday. Bumrah did not practice with the MI squad on Friday, as he was asked to report to the Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, where his workload has been monitored. “He has joined the MI on Friday night, and he will be coming for practice on Saturday,” a source confirmed. Bumrah played a key role in India’s run to the T20 World Cup victory, and he was adjudged Player of the Final against New Zealand. He was in the COE for a few days after the medical team advised the board to send the ace pacer to work on his strength and conditioning. With India playing Afghanistan in a short series after the IPL and then touring England in July, the board will be keeping an eye on Bumrah’s workload. The board will remain in constant touch with him through the IPL. Bumrah has taken 186 wickets for the Mumbai Indians in the league, and the franchise will once again hope that he keeps his form intact for the two-month long franchise cricket tournament. The five-time IPL champions had a lengthy training session at Wankhede Stadium on Friday, where their key players had a long stint in the nets. Former captain and batting talisman Rohit Sharma batted for a long time along with current skipper Hardik Pandya and India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. Two foreign players, Will Jacks and Mitchell Santner, are yet to join the squad. MI have not won their opening IPL game since 2012.
Jasprit Bumrah joins Mumbai Indians squad ahead of IPL 2026 opener against Kolkata Knight Riders
