According to MI coach Mark Boucher, Jofra Archer, the Mumbai Indians bowler, has not undergone training before their IPL 2023 match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday (April 2). This announcement was made before the start of the new season’s opening game.
In the IPL 2022 auction held last year, Jofra Archer was purchased at a significant amount of INR 8 crore. Unfortunately, due to an injury, the English bowler was unable to participate in the entire last campaign. However, he has now made a comeback to the team this season.
With their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah absent, there are high expectations from the former Rajasthan Royals bowler, Jofra Archer, who will need to lead the Mumbai bowling attack. Against this backdrop, on Saturday, Mark Boucher, the Mumbai coach, provided the final verdict on a potential injury to the pacer.
According to the former South Africa head coach and current Mumbai Indians coach, Mark Boucher, Jofra Archer did not attend the training session on Saturday. However, Boucher believes that Archer is physically ready to play in their opening match against Faf du Plessis’ the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.
“Jofra is one hundred per cent ready for tomorrow. He skipped the optional training session and felt that he was ready to go for tomorrow’s (2 April) game against RCB. We are really happy with his progression in the last couple of days since he has been here,” Mark Boucher stated in the pre-match media conference held.
Following a disappointing performance in the previous season, where they finished in 9th place on the table, it remains to be seen how the Mumbai Indians side will fare this time around. However, Mark Boucher is optimistic, as he believes that the team’s new additions and returning players have integrated well together, which is a positive sign as they head into the new season.
Mark Boucher, the coach of Mumbai Indians, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s new talent and energy, stating that they are moving in the right direction with a lot of focus and positivity. He also mentioned that the team is in a good space, both mentally and physically, on the eve of their first game.