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Mumbai Indians (MI) are in touch with England players Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson to fill the boots of Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks, who are likely to leave the camp before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs to serve their national sides. With England set to host West Indies for a six-match white-ball series, Jacks will be expected to join the English side, while Rickelton will be an integral part of South Africa’s squad that will be facing defending champions Australia at the iconic Lord’s in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 to be played from June 11 to 15.
Noting the scenarios, MI are looking to sign up Bairstow and Gleeson for the playoffs. As per ESPNcricinfo, Bairstow is considered the favourite to replace Will Jacks, subject to receiving a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Bairstow last appeared for England in June 2024 in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against India. Mumbai are yet to qualify for the next round as they have bagged seven victories and five losses in 12 games in the tournament. The five-time champion side are currently holding the fourth spot on the points tally.
MI are required to win their remaining matches in IPL 2025 for playoff spot
MI’s remaining league stage matches are against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 21 and 26 respectively. They will be required to emerge victorious in both matches to advance to the playoffs. With seven teams still alive in the playoffs race, Mumbai will look to win both matches to reach the next round with nine wins and a solid net run rate.
Mumbai’s net run rate is +1.156, which is the best in the tournament so far. Hardik Pandya and his men made a sensational comeback in the T20 tournament after losing four games in their initial five matches. After a hammering against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 7, Mumbai came back to winning ways after bagging six triumphs in a row.
