England all-rounder Will Jacques Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to return to the squad after missing the first four matches of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
According to BBC Sport, the 27-year-old took time off from the game after a very busy winter, during which he played all three formats of the game for the Three Lions. The spin-bowling all-rounder played four of the five Ashes Test matches in Australia before playing two white-ball series in Sri Lanka and becoming part of England's T20 World Cup squad, where they reached the semi-finals.
Jax had a fantastic T20 World Cup. He scored 226 runs at a strike-rate of 176.56, along with taking nine wickets, winning a total of four Player of the Match awards.
Due to the busy winter, Jacques had taken leave and was not available for selection for MI in the first four matches of the 2026 season. However, the five-time champions have enough replacements to fill the gap left by the Englishman in the lower-middle order.
MI Sherfane Rutherford has been used at the end of the innings. The West Indies international has scored more than 100 runs this season at a strike-rate of 219.56. In the absence of Jacques, Mitchell Santner has taken care of the spin option. However, with the return of the Surrey all-rounder, MI may have a lower-order hitter as well as a spinner who can give them two or three overs at a go.
Jacques was signed by the Mumbai-based franchise in the 2025 auction for a fee of Rs 5.25 crore. He contributed 223 runs and six wickets in 13 matches during the 2025 IPL season.
MI have not had a tremendous start to the 2026 season, losing three of their first four matches, and currently find themselves eighth in the standings. Perhaps Jack's return will be the missing piece of the puzzle for the Hardik Pandya-led team to kickstart their season.
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