Bumrah workload: With focus on 2027 World Cup, pace spearhead to play more ODIs than T20Is

New Delhi: India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is likely to play more 50-over games instead of T20I bilateral series over the next 18 months to ensure his preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup remain on track.

T20Is will be a low priority leading up to October-November 2027, despite a heavy schedule of bilateral series and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where Suryakumar Yadav is expected to lead the side.

It is understood that Bumrah, like many senior Indian players, is very keen on playing the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, which will be held in the T20 format, but ODIs will be his primary white ball format till the 2027 World Cup.

India's ODI World Cup preparation will start in earnest after a gruelling two months of Indian Premier League where Bumrah is set to headline the Mumbai Indians pace attack.

By the end of IPL, it is understood that the national selection committee, the Centre of Excellence headed by VVS Laxman and the team management represented by Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill, will prepare the blue-print for the next phase, and the most important aspect will be Bumrah's workload management.

It is understood that the World Test Championships (WTC) matches are non-negotiable for the 32-year-old legend and it is believed that his workload management will be somewhat similar to the 2023-2026 phase during which he didn't play a single ODI.

Since November 19, 2023, when the last ODI World Cup final was held against Australia, Bumrah played 42 games, which included 21 Test matches and an equal number of T20Is.

"Obviously Bumrah's fitness is as always key to any of India's global campaign and hence the Indian team management will have to be very careful and prioritise the formats. Keep Test cricket aside, which he will obviously play, but in the 50-over World Cup cycle, he will concentrate more on ODIs.

"There will be around 30-35 odd games and one can't take chances," a BCCI source privy to the development told PTI.

India's pace bowling pool in terms of ODI cricket isn't a big one but it is understood that the core will comprise Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana (whenever he gets fit).