Mumbai Indians announce three overseas T20I stars as replacements ahead of MI vs DC IPL 2025 match

Mumbai Indians (MI) have named the candidates to replace their three outgoing overseas stars ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs. The likes of Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, and Ryan Rickelton have been called up for international duty, and their spots will be taken up by Jonny Bairstow, Richard Gleeson, and Charith Asalanka.

The governing body has permitted temporary replacement signings after the competition was suspended for a week. The rescheduled itinerary has the IPL clashing with England's home white-ball series against the West Indies, as well as the lead-up to the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

"Mumbai Indians (MI) have picked Jonny Bairstow, Richard Gleeson and Charith Asalanka as replacements for Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch, who are all set to leave for national duties after MI's last league game," a statement on iplt20.com read.

"Jacks will be replaced by English wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who will join at a price of INR 5.25 crore.English pacer Richard Gleeson will be a replacement for Ryan Rickelton at a reserve price of INR 1 crore. Charith Asalanka will come in as a replacement for Corbin Bosch at a reserve price of INR 75 lakhs. The replacement players will be available from the Playoffs stage onwards, should MI qualify," the statement continued.

MI are firmly embroiled in the race for the playoffs and have fate in their own hands at the minute, especially after the Delhi Capitals' (DC) recent 10-wicket loss at home against the Gujarat Titans (GT).

The Hardik Pandya-led side have 14 points from 12 matches, and will face DC at the Wankhede Stadium on May 21.

Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson played in SA 20 2025 while Charith Asalanka was part of ILT20 2025 ahead of MI stint

All three replacement players are not entirely out of touch as they were part of some franchise cricket quite recently.

Jonny Bairstow played for the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 2025, scoring 232 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 134.10, while primarily operating in the middle order. However, with both Jacks and Rickelton unavailable, the Englishman is likely to feature at the top of the order. The veteran batter has significant experience in the IPL, with 1589 runs in 50 matches at an average of 34.54 and a strike rate of 144.45.

Gleeson played in the same tournament in South Africa for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, and was the joint second-highest wicket-taker, only behind his teammate Marco Jansen. The tall English pacer would prove to be a handful at the Wankhede, if the playoffs are shifted from Kolkata and Hyderabad. He was part of the CSK outfit last season, making two appearances towards the end of the league stage.

Asalanka, the Sri Lanka white-ball captain, played for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20. He scored 111 runs in three matches with a strike rate of 152.05. He comes across as a handy left-handed option for the middle order, well capable of rolling his arm over with his off-spin bowling.