Bumrah joins MI squad ahead of home fixture against RCB

"The Lion is Back and is ready to be the King of this Jungle again." That is how Mumbai Indians announced the arrival of Jasprit Bumrah. "Ready to Roar," it went on as the India pacer joined the MI squad on Saturday.

Bumrah's arrival is much-awaited by the Mumbai Indians squad, coming as it did ahead of their fifth game of the season, second at home. They take on in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede on Monday (April 7).

Typically struggling to make an impact in the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the five-time champions would be hoping that Bumrah's presence would bring about a turnaround in their fortunes. They have only one win from four games, are placed seventh in the points table.

Hardik Pandya recently hinted that Bumrah would be joining the squad. "Jasprit should be back soon," said the MI skipper during MI's away game against Lucknow SuperGiants recently.

Bumrah has been out of action since January. Of late, he has been seeking clearance from the Sports Science wing of the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He has had quite a few visits and only recently is understood to have been cleared to participate in the IPL.

It is, however, not clear if he will be playing the game straight away but that is more likely than not. The general impression is that the final call will be taken after seeing him at the nets on Sunday evening. But the fact that he has been cleared to play the IPL, it is unlikely the wait will prolong.