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Following suspension of one week due to the military tension between India and Pakistan, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 is all set to resume on May 17.
As South Africa players who are part of their World Test Championship final squad will return home by May 30 for preparations, Mumbai Indians (MI) have started making arrangements for temporary replacements.
As per sources, MI will secure the service of English players Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson as temporary replacements if they reach play-offs.
As per sources, the signings will be done due to the unavailability of England batter Will Jacks and South Africa keeper-batter Ryan Rickelton due to their respective international commitments.
Jacks will be unavailable for the playoffs because of England's ODI series against the West Indies.
Notably, Bairstow, who went unsold in the auction and hasn't played for England since June 2024, is being considered as his replacement, pending a No-Objection Certificate.
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Bairstow has played 50 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in IPL. He has so far scored two centuries, averaging 34.54 with an impressive strike rate of 144.45 in the cash-rich league.
Many overseas players have returned home following the suspension of IPL for seven days and some of them are reluctant to return India for the remainder of IPL 2025.
