Mumbai Indians’ joy knew no bounds as they welcomed back a fit-again Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday.

They announced the speedster’s reunion with the team in style, posting Bumrah’s picture on X with the caption, “The King of the jungle is back in his kingdom”. Then Keiron Pollard, the franchise batting coach, lifted him up while hugging him before practice.

Mumbai’s excitement is understandable. With just one win from four matches, they know what a big difference Bumrah’s addition to the team can make. And that can be as early as Monday, when they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene, while confirming Bumrah’s availability for the RCB game, highlighted the pacer’s worth in the team. “Boom’s coming back from a pretty decent layoff, so we need to give him that space and not expect too much. But knowing Jasprit, he’ll be up for it and we’re very happy to have him in the camp.

“The experience that he brings and that extra voice out there in the middle, chatting with Boulty (Trent Boult), chatting with Deepak (Chahar) or any other younger bowler, giving that advice is also very valuable for us,” Jayawardene said.

That Bumrah was expected to be back for Monday's match was reported by The Telegraph on April 2. Bumrah had been sidelined with a back injury that he suffered during the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney in January.

While Bumrah will most likely play on Monday, there’s no clarity on Rohit Sharma, who missed Mumbai’s last game with a knee niggle. The coach said Rohit “looks good” but maintained that a call on him would be taken later.

Mumbai’s opponents RCB will hope their explosive opening combination of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli would be able to counter the Bumrah threat. RCB began the season with back-to-back wins but lost their last match.