Mumbai Indians will miss Jasprit Bumrah, but they can still win the IPL: Sunil Gavaskar

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes that Mumbai Indians will surely miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming season. The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to commence on March 31 and the five-time champions Mumbai Indians will be without Bumrah, who has been ruled out for the entire season due to a persistent back injury. He did not feature in any competitive cricket since September last year, including Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup.

Bumrah is an asset for the Indian team as well as Mumbai Indians. He is the second highest wicket-taker for MI, having scalped 145 form 120 matches. The 29-year-old has pipped spin legend Harbhajan Singh to move up in the tally and is just behind Lasith Malinga.

Gavaskar said that team will certainly miss him, but added that the Rohit Sharma-led side can win the title for a record sixth time as they still have enough talent for that. He reckoned that this will be a chance for them to prove their worth after last year's poor performance.

"They have to forget what happened last season and got to believe that they have the team to do it again. They will miss Jasprit Bumrah. But they have got a team that can win the championship once again. I see them in the top three definitely, because they have a point to prove after last year's performance," said Gavaskar while speaking to Star Sports about the chances of Rohit and Co. winning IPL 2023.

Meanwhile, the IPL 2023 is set to begin on March 31, with defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) hosting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. MI, who had a terrible campaign in 2022, will look for a historic sixth title as they will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 2.

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