New Delhi: Mumbai Indians are in advanced negotiations with Jonny Bairstow to be a temporary replacement for Will Jacks for the remainder of the 2025 Indian Premier League.
Mumbai are currently fourth in the 10-team standings and are in contention for a place in the play-offs. Jacks has returned to the MI fold for the resumption for the tournament on May 17 and stretches till June 3.
But he won’t be part of their campaign for the final stages of the tournament should they qualify because of international duty as England’s ODI series against West Indies colliding with the revised knockout stage schedule.
ESPNcricinfo reports that Bairstow needs a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the England and Wales Cricket Board to replace Jacks for the knockout stage.
During the mega auctions for IPL 2025 in November, Bairstow went unsold and has not been picked by England in any format since June 2024.
He captained Yorkshire against Surrey in the English County Championship this week, and is likely to miss one Championship match and two T20 games if he agrees a deal with Mumbai.
Bairstow has earlier played in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad (2019-21) and Punjab Kings (2022 and 2024), making 50 appearances in five seasons. He averages 34.54 and has a strike rate of 144.45, hitting two centuries.
Jacks has played in 11 of their 12 group-stage matches for Mumbai this season, scoring 195 runs in nine innings apart from taking five wickets with his off-spin bowling.
He also been named player-of-the-match twice in Mumbai home victories against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants. Mumbai have two group-stage matches, against Delhi Capitals (May 21) and Punjab Kings (May 26), remaining.
Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch will nit be available for them in the play-offs, after they were picked in South Africa’s 15-man squad for the World Test Championship final against Australia.
Will Jacks won’t be part of Mumbai Indians’ campaign for the final stages of IPL 2025 because of international duty should they qualify Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
