Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of IPL, no comeback in next six months
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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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
