Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the 2nd T20I vs New Zealand for workload management ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Fans were surprised as he bowled only 3 overs in the first match and questioned the team management’s strategy for the star pacer.
Team India lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the second T20I of the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday, January 23.
The Men in Blue won the first match by 43 runs at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday to take a 1-0 series lead and are aiming to extend their advantage with another strong performance in Raipur. However, ahead of the second T20I, Team India management made a couple of changes in their playing XI.
After winning the toss, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav opted to bowl first and then confirmed that Axar Patel was ruled out due to injury and Jasprit Bumrah was being rested. In their place, Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana have been included in the playing XI for the second T20I.
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Since Washington Sundar was ruled out of the T20I due to a side strain, the team management was forced to add a spin bowling specialist rather than a like-for-like replacement for Axar Patel.
After One Match, Bumrah Rested
Jasprit Bumrah was part of India’s playing XI in the first T20I against New Zealand in Nagpur, where he went wicketless while conceding 29 runs at an economy rate of 9.70 in his spell of three overs. With the T20 World Cup 2026 just around the corner, it was expected that India's pacer would play the entire T20I series against New Zealand.
Surprisingly, Bumrah was rested for the second T20I, apparently as part of his workload management ahead of the marquee event. The Indian pacer’s workload management was a topic of debate last year, when he played only three matches of the five-Test series against England. Given his recurring back issues in the past, the team management was careful with his workload ahead of major international assignments, including the T20 World Cup.
In the South Africa T20I series in December 2025, Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable for the second match as he returned home due to personal reasons. He had a moderate series against the Proteas, picking just three wickets in four outings.
Additionally, Jasprit Bumrah has not played an ODI match since the 2023 World Cup final against Australia, as the Team India management wanted to protect the Indian pacer from any injuries and prioritise his availability for key upcoming events. Throughout 2025, Bumrah played only Tests and T20Is, with his workload carefully managed to ensure peak fitness for the T20 World Cup 2026.
‘Why is Bumrah Rested Again?’
After India skipper Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah was rested from the second T20I, fans and cricket enthusiasts were left expressing surprise and debating the timing of the decision, questioning whether resting the star pacer early in the series was necessary.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts expressed their frustration and disbelief over resting Bumrah when an important assignment, which is the T20 World Cup 2026, is just around the corner, while pointing out that he had bowled only three overs in the first match.
Others criticized the team management for not giving him enough gametime before the marquee event.
Coincidentally, Jasprit Bumrah was rested on the 10th anniversary of his international debut, donning the Indian jersey for the first time in an ODI match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 23, 2016.
Meanwhile, Team India’s decision to bowl first backfired as New Zealand posted a total of 208/6 in 20 overs and set a 209-run target for the Men in Blue to chase. Kuldeep Yadav led the bowling attack with figures of 2/35 at an economy rate of 8.80 in 4 overs, while Hardik Pandya (1/25), Varun Chakravarthy (1/35), Shivam Dube (1/7), and Harshit Rana (1/35) picked a wicket each.
Arshdeep Singh had a forgettable outing as he went wicketless while conceding 53 runs at an economy rate of 13.20 in 4 overs.
