Jonny Bairstow is allegedly in negotiations with the Mumbai Indians (MI) about joining the Hardik Pandya-led side as a temporary substitute for Will Jacks if they make the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs.
Jacks will play in MI’s final two league games now that he is in India. However, if MI advance to the playoffs, Jacks would have to leave India to serve his country since he was selected in England’s team for their forthcoming ODI and T20I series against the West Indies, which starts on May 29. The IPL playoffs start on May 29 after the round-robin stage concludes on May 27.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Bairstow is in line to replace his compatriot in the playoffs, pending a No-Object Certificate. Since June 2024, the seasoned wicketkeeper-batter has not played for England in any capacity, and he was not sold at the November mega-auction. After leading Yorkshire against Surrey at The Oval in the County Championship this week, Bairstow would head to India. If the agreement with MI goes through, he will primarily miss one Championship game and two T20 Blast matches.
MI owe a lot to Jacks, especially for how they recovered after a terrible start to this season. He has made 195 runs in nine innings, which works out to an average of 24.38 and a strike rate of 129.14. Jacks managed to take five wickets during the 2025 IPL season.
On the other hand, Bairstow has played 50 IPL games and managed to score a total of 1,589 runs with an average of 34.54 and a strike rate of 144.46. In the previous season, he made an unforgettable hundred for Punjab Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders and managed to help the team win chasing a record total of 262 runs.
MI has played 12 games and has 14 points. They have five losses and seven victories. On Wednesday, May 21, the Mumbai-based team will play the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium to start their campaign.
