The Mumbai Indians seem to have lost their way after winning their opening match of the IPL season, ending a 14-year drought. They have lost two consecutive matches since then, with the latest defeat coming against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday in a rain-curtailed encounter at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
The five-time champions are struggling with their team combination and Will Jacks is one player whose absence has left many surprised. On expected lines, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene was asked about Jacks being benched for the first three matches of IPL 2026 despite the all-rounder winning four player of the match awards in the T20 World Cup recently.
This is when it was revealed that the Englandย all-rounder is yet to join the squad and Jayawardene could only hope that he joins the team soon. “Will still hasn’t joined the squad, we are hoping he will join pretty soon,” Mahela said in the post-match press conference. However, the reason for Jacks’ non-arrival is not known yet.
Will Jacks is in great form at the moment
Jacks was arguably the best player for England in the T20 World Cup recently, scoring 226 runs at an average of 56.5 and a strike rate of 176.58 and he also picked up nine wickets. His all-round showing earned him four POTM awards during the tournament. Moreover, he had fared decently for the Mumbai Indians last season, scoring 233 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 135.46 and accounting six wickets with the ball. His absence is certainly hurting the overall balance of the five-time champions and they would be hoping for Jacks to join the squad at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians also had to deal with an injury to Mitchell Santner who decided to sit out of the Rajasthan Royals clash after injuring his shoulder while fielding in the game against the Delhi Capitals. Jayawardene confirmed that the New Zealand player was not fully fit to take part in the game. “Mitch, in the last game, had a little niggle when he came off.ย As a precaution, he wasn’t a hundred percent ready to play this game. Hopefully, he will be fit for our next game,” he said.
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