With only hours to go for the high-octane Eliminator clash, Mumbai Indians (MI) have added England's once-feared opener Jonny Bairstow to the squad. Additionally, the five-time champions have made a few other additions as well. Following the exit of Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton, and Corbin Bosch, all of whom have departed as a result of international commitments, England's T20I rookie Richard Gleeson has been called in along with Sri Lanka's batting all-rounder Charith Asalanka. 

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There is an imminent possibility that we could see Bairstow in action for the upcoming Eliminator clash, which will be held in Mullanpur this evening. With Rickelton out of the picture, Rohit could soon find himself a new opening partner. The English wicket-keeper batsman has joined the franchise in the middle of the domestic county season. Furthermore, he could also come in more than handy with his glove work behind the stumps. 

While interacting with ESPNcricinfo, former Australian great Tom Moody described Bairstow as an "IPL-proven" player. 

“It’s not like MI are at odds about whether to play him or not. Bairstow is an IPL-proven player. He’s come in with this opportunity in very good form for Yorkshire."

A peek into Bairstow's illustrious IPL career

This will be Bairstow's first IPL appearance in three years, having last competed in the league in 2022. Although he was included in the Punjab Kings roster for both 2023 and 2024, he did not play a single game. The 35-year-old has an impressive IPL record, largely attributed to his outstanding performances with the Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2019 to 2021.

During the 2019 season, Bairstow represented SRH in 10 matches, plundering a tally of 445 runs, which included one century and two half-centuries. His strike rate of 157.14 for that season is his highest across four seasons in the league. In total, Bairstow has gathered 1,291 runs in 39 IPL games, with an average of 35.86 and a strike rate of 142.65.

Bairstow is expected to join hands with Rohit at the top of the order. The former MI captain has endured a difficult season. MI’s top-order woes have been largely minimized by the brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav, who has stitched 25-plus scores in almost every IPL innings.