New Delhi, March 21: Mark Boucher, the former South Africa cricketer who served as Mumbai Indians head coach in last two seasons of the IPL, said the side always looks a lot better when Jasprit is there, adding that his absence for the initial matches of IPL 2025 isn’t a great sign for them.

Bumrah is currently undergoing rehab at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (formerly the National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru for a lower back injury which prevented him from bowling in the second innings of fifth Test at Sydney. Since then, Bumrah has been out of action and even missed India’s triumphant Champions Trophy campaign.

“Mumbai Indians without Jasprit Bumrah is straight away not a good thing. He’s probably the world’s best T20 bowler, and the fact that he can bowl in the powerplay and the death overs makes him a match winner in his own rights. Mumbai Indians with Jasprit Bumrah are always going to be a lot better team.

“I would love to have had Jasprit Bumrah in my first season (when he missed IPL 2023 due to back injury). I think that if we had him, I’ve got no doubt that we could have been title contenders. We got to the third position, but, I mean, he’s the world’s best bowler, so any team without Jasprit Bumrah is well, not going to be as good a team as with him in it,” said Boucher, a JioStar expert, to media in a virtual interaction prior to the 18th edition of the tournament.

Bumrah has picked up 165 wickets in 133 matches for MI in the IPL, and Boucher thinks his absence will lead to MI rejigging their bowling plans and four overseas players equation, with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar becoming key figures.

“The fact that he’s not available brings a guy like Trent Boult into the equation where he’s going to have to probably lead the attack. Deepak Chahar as well is a new selection for Mumbai Indians, so I think he’s going to play a massive role as well.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how they start the competition with regard to the international players and what their splits are going to be. Are they going to play an extra batter or are they going to boost their bowling with internationals as well? It’s going to be interesting to see what they go in with.

“There is no cover for Jasprit Bumrah, as it just depends on what they want to do with regards to the internationals. So they’re definitely going to play Trent Boult and I know that they probably want to play Santner as well. Do they push Reece Topley into the equation? That might be at the expense of a batter up front,” he said.

Boucher also predicted Bumrah’s absence will impact the look of who opens alongside Rohit Sharma. “I think it might change throughout the whole competition, as they’ve got Indian batters to go up front. A guy like Robin Mintz, I think he can bat up front, and they’ve got that option.

“If they feel that they want to maybe put another Indian as a bowler, then they can go with Ryan Rickleton and have also got Will Jacks. So I think they’ve got plenty options. I’m really interested to see if they play Robin Minz, as he’s an unknown entity. You’ve got Naman Dhir as well, as he can also open the batting.

“Ryan Rickleton, though, will be fantastic from a bowling standpoint. Will Jacks has done really well. But as I said, I think it’s all about the options. If they want to strengthen their bowling with the internationals, then that might be at the expense of one of the opening batters,” he concluded.

New Delhi, March 21: Though Hardik Pandya will miss Mumbai Indians’ opening game in IPL 2025 against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday in Chennai due to a one-match suspension carrying forward from last year’s IPL, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh believes the all-rounder’s belief in himself to do things separates him from others.

IPL 2025 shapes up as an important tournament for Pandya, the IPL 2022 winning captain who had a torrid last season in every aspect. The decision taken by MI management to make him the captain in place of Rohit Sharma after coming in from the Gujarat Titans resulted in the crowd booing the all-rounder in first half of IPL 2024, even as the five-time champions finished last in the points table.

“He was always a very confident player from day one of joining the team in 2015. He was also a very positive guy with ‘yes I can do this’ attitude. Since then, his positive instinct has been better than before.”

“He has more belief in himself now that I can do these things and he’s done it. So, that’s one of his biggest strengths which differentiates himself from others. Now he has got the experience of playing almost 10 years now – not just the IPL, but also a lot of international cricket,” said Harbhajan, a JioStar expert, to IANS in a virtual interaction prior to the 18th edition of the tournament.

Harbhajan had seen a young Pandya coming in as a rookie in the star-studded MI set-up and shine in 2015 IPL, and he believes the all-rounder still has that confidence plus positivity from that phase to emerge stronger as the side’s leader in the upcoming tournament starting from Saturday.

“It’s good to see the way he progressed himself for Mumbai Indians over the years, and then he was leading GT for 2 years, where he was brilliant there as well. Yes, last year wasn’t that great for him since he was coming back to Mumbai Indians.”

“But I think he has left everything behind, as after that, a lot of good things have happened – like he played a major role for Team India to lift two ICC trophies. So, I think that this year Hardik Pandya will be at his best when we talk about his captainship or skillsets wise. When you are at peace, you are happy, enjoying yourself and kind of getting the best out of the other players.”

“So, hopefully, we will see the best of Hardik Pandya this year, because it seems like whatever wrong has happened last year is gone and this year will be a fresh start. I am hoping for him and his team to fire at the right time,” concluded Harbhajan.

Mumbai, March 20: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a cash reward of Rs 58 crore for Team India after their triumph at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to honour the players, coaching and support staff and members of the selection committee.

India registered a four-wicket win over New Zealand in the summit clash to lift their third Champions Trophy title on March 9. This was India’s second ICC silverware in less than nine months after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup title by beating South Africa in the final in Bridgetown.

Roger Binny, President, BCCI, “Winning back-to-back ICC titles is special and this reward recognises Team India’s dedication and excellence on the global stage. The cash award is a recognition of the hard work that everyone puts in behind the scenes. This was also our second ICC Trophy in 2025, following the ICC U19 Women’s World Cup triumph, and it highlights the strong cricketing ecosystem in place in our country.”

Rohit Sharma and Co. dominated the tournament, registering four commanding victories en route to lifting the trophy. They began their campaign with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh, then secured a convincing six-wicket triumph against Pakistan. They continued their momentum with a 44-run victory over New Zealand before ultimately overcoming Australia by four wickets in the semifinal.

Devajit Saikia, BCCI secretary, added, “The BCCI is proud to honour the players and support staff with this well-deserved reward. Their dominance in world cricket is a result of years of hard work and strategic execution. This victory has justified India’s top ranking in white-ball cricket, and we are sure the team will continue to excel in the years to come. The dedication and commitment shown by the players have set a new benchmark, and we are confident that Indian cricket will keep raising the bar on the global stage.”

India also became the first country to win the Champions Trophy for a record third time in the eight-team tournament’s history.

Rajeev Shukla, BCCI vice-president, said, “This cash reward is a tribute to the outstanding performances delivered by the team throughout the tournament. The players exhibited remarkable composure under pressure, and their success is an inspiration to aspiring cricketers across the country. The team has once again proved that Indian cricket is built on a strong foundation of skill, mental toughness, and a winning mentality.”