indian premier league - ipl

Mumbai Indians Face a Conundrum in Finishing Role for IPL 2026 After Stars Light Up T20 World Cup 2026

Sagar Paul

Last updated: February 20, 2026

3 min read

Mumbai Indians face a selection dilemma in the finisher’s role after Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks impressed in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.

Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks Shine in Finishing Roles at T20 World Cup 2026

In the tournament so far, Sherfane Rutherford of West Indies has scored 126 runs in three innings at an average of 126 because he remained not out on two occasions. He is batting at a strike rate of 180.00. He has mostly batted at No. 5 and No. 6 in the tournament. He also won the Player of the Match award against England, where he scored 76* off 42 balls.

On the other hand, Will Jacks, who bats for England at No. 7, has scored 110 runs in four innings at an average of 110, as he remained not out in three innings. He is batting at a strike rate of 207.54 in the tournament. In the match against Italy, he scored 53* off 22 balls and was later awarded Player of the Match.

Speaking about Rutherford’s form, he has been in an impressive run in 2026. He has scored 451 runs in 15 matches at an average of 75.16. Previously, in SA20 2025, playing for Pretoria Capitals, he scored 334 runs in 10 innings at an average of 66.80.

Whereas Jacks is turning out to be a reliable all-rounder in T20 cricket. Along with scoring runs, he has also picked up six wickets in his last five T20I innings.

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A Good Selection Headache for Mumbai Indians Ahead of IPL 2026

So, for Mumbai Indians, this is a good problem to have ahead of the coming IPL season, which begins on March 26. For the finisher’s role, they now have overseas players like Will Jacks, whom they retained, and Sherfane Rutherford, whom they bought for INR 2.6 crore in the IPL 2026 auction, but only one of them can play.

Out of the four overseas slots, Trent Boult will be one of the main pacers, and either Allah Ghazanfar or Mitchell Santner could play as the spinner. Among the two wicketkeepers, Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton, only one is likely to feature in the playing XI.

This means MI can choose either Rutherford or Jacks in the playing XI. Looking at the numbers, Rutherford has shown terrific form. However, if Jacks plays, he will strengthen both the batting and bowling. The team can then use an Indian player as the impact substitute.

They also have Naman Dhir and Hardik Pandya in the middle order, which makes the lineup even stronger. It is a good selection headache for MI ahead of IPL 2026, and it will be interesting to see whether they go with Jacks or Rutherford for the finisher’s role.

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