England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who joined Mumbai Indians (MI) as a replacement player for the playoff stages of IPL 2025, has now been roped in by the franchise for the upcoming ILT20 2026 season. Jonny stamped his authority in the only two matches he played for Mumbai in the last IPL, scoring 47 off 22 against Gujarat Titans (GT) and 38 off 24 against Punjab Kings (PBKS). He will, however, not be allowed for retention, since he joined as a temporary replacement, a provision allowed by the league after the tournament was paused for a week due to India-Pakistan war.
The 36-year-old England cricketer will now join the former ILT20 champions as a replacement for Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera, who will be busy with his commitments in the Lanka Premier League (LPL T20).
Bairstow will hope to make the most of the chance in his stint with MI’s sister franchise MI Emirates, which will also act as an audition for the IPL 2026 season, and a stellar display can put him in the reckoning for a possible bid at the auction slated to be held later this year. The dynamic right-hander has been in sublime form this year too, averaging at 35.42 and 38.66 in The Hundred 2025 and SA20 2025 respectively.
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A number of top Indian stars are also set to dazzle in ILT20 2026, with the latest name being Piyush Chawla. The veteran spinner has been roped in by the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) as a wildcard pick. Notably, Chawla has spent a substantial part of his IPL career with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) family (six years from 2014-2019).
Earlier today, former India and RCB wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was roped in by the Sharjah Warriorz for ILT20 2026.
On the other hand, Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his IPL retirement earlier this year is set to have the highest-ever base price in tournament history when he goes under the hammer at the ILT20 2026 auction tomorrow (October 1).
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