New Delhi, Feb 28: Struggling to shake off his injury woes, Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the IPL for failing to fully recover from his back injury and is unlikely to make a comeback in the next six months, a BCCI source told PTI on Tuesday.

It's yet to be ascertained if the seasoned pacer, who also missed the T20 World Cup in Australia last year, would require a back surgery.

"Bumrah has been ruled out of the IPL as he will take another six months to come back. Even then, he might or might not make a comeback. The 50-over World Cup is the target, but that is also not guaranteed," the BCCI source said.

The development means that Bumrah is now also set to miss the World Test Championship final (if India qualify), which starts on June 7 at The Oval.

Bumrah was initially named in India's T20 World Cup squad.

The IPL is starting on March 31, and Bumrah has been the lead pacer for Mumbai Indians for many seasons now.

The ODI World Cup is scheduled in October-November in India.

The 29-year-old Bumrah has played only five Tests, five ODIs and as many T20Is in 2022, apart from IPL games for Mumbai Indians.

Bumrah, who has a slinging action, puts a lot of pressure on his back during loading. Former West Indies pace bowling great Michael Holding had assessed that Bumrah was always a candidate for back injuries.

Last year, he was ruled out of the Asia Cup due to the back injury. He was rushed back into the squad for the T20I series against Australia at home before the T20 World Cup, and he has not played cricket since then.

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New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.

The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.

When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.

"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."


Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."

Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."

Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.

"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."