Wed Feb 12 12:03:29 UTC 2025: ## Bumrah Ruled Out of Champions Trophy Due to Injury; Rana and Chakravarthy Replacements
**Dubai, UAE** – Star Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to a back injury, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Tuesday. Bumrah’s place in the squad has been filled by Harshit Rana, while Varun Chakravarthy replaces Yashasvi Jaiswal. India will play all its matches in Dubai under a hybrid model agreement.
The decision followed a meeting between the selection committee chairman, chief coach Gautam Gambhir, and captain Rohit Sharma in Ahmedabad. Concerns were raised about Bumrah’s fitness, particularly given his history of back injuries and the short turnaround time before the tournament. While the National Cricket Academy (NCA) reported Bumrah’s scans as clean and his rehabilitation complete, he hasn’t yet resumed bowling at full intensity. The selectors opted not to risk his participation, mindful of a similar situation in 2022 when a rushed return resulted in a long-term injury.
The NCA’s report indicated Bumrah’s recovery progress but stopped short of guaranteeing his match fitness by the tournament’s start date. This cautious approach, a departure from the 2022 decision, avoided a potential recurrence of injury.
The revised Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, commencing February 19th in Pakistan (though India will play in Dubai), now includes: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-Captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy.
First Piper 