India’s premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, has been officially ruled out of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 due to a recurring lower back injury, dealing a major blow to the team’s pace attack. In his absence, young pacer Harshit Rana has been named as his replacement.
This marks the second time that Bumrah has missed an ICC tournament due to injury. Previously, he was sidelined from the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia after a similar back issue, which eventually required surgery. His absence will undoubtedly be felt, as Bumrah has been India’s go-to strike bowler in crucial tournaments.
India’s Squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Additionally, India has made another change to its squad, including spinner Varun Chakravarthy in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was initially part of the provisional team. With these adjustments, the squad aims to maintain a balance between experience and emerging talent.
Harshit Rana, who was originally selected as Bumrah’s backup for the England ODIs, has impressed with his performances, taking four wickets in his first two outings in the 50-over format. While Rana will now be taking Bumrah’s place, filling the void left by India’s pace spearhead will be a tough challenge.
Bumrah’s absence could significantly impact India’s bowling strategy, particularly in death overs, where he has been a proven match-winner with his lethal yorkers and pinpoint accuracy. The team management will now have to rely on the pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Rana to deliver under pressure.
Non-traveling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube. These players will remain on standby and will travel to Dubai if required.
While Team India adjusts to Bumrah’s absence, fans will be hoping for a swift recovery for the ace pacer, who remains an integral part of India’s future campaigns. The spotlight now turns to the rest of the squad as they gear up for the prestigious tournament.