3 IPL Teams That Could Pick Jonny Bairstow For IPL 2026

Jonny Bairstow came in as Will Jacks' replacement in the Mumbai Indians (MI) setup during the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League, and he formed a very solid opening partnership with Rohit Sharma. 

He got to play only two games in the last season, but showed his value at the top by scoring 85 runs at a strike rate of 184. Close observers of Bairstow’s talent know that’s only a teaser for what the big Englishman can do with the bat. 

Looking at that, let’s check out three IPL sides that would benefit the most from his inclusion in their team: 

Mumbai Indians 

MI already saw what Bairstow can do at the top of the order along with Rohit Sharma. Moreover, just in case Rohit is unfit to play at any point, Bairstow is more than an able replacement for the Indian batter, as both bat in a similar fashion. 

His inclusion will also give Ryan Rickleton some extra time to get into the game, and the pressure of scoring can be eased for a bit. Moreover, if Rickleton is out of form, Bairstow can always slot in as a keeper and open the batting with Rohit. 

His inclusion will strengthen the MI top order and will allow the likes of Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya to bat even more freely. 

Chennai Super Kings 

CSK suffered massively due to the lack of batting firepower in the 2025 season and finished bottom of the points table after a lacklustre season. The key reason behind that was the fact that Devon Conway and the batters to follow (Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar) couldn’t score at the required run-rate or be consistent enough. 

Bairstow can slot in directly at the top, giving CSK a massive boost because, along with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, he can form a superb opening pair and can also step in as a wicketkeeper if MS Dhoni decides to call it a day. CSK will solve two problems with one selection call, and they should go after him in the mini auction ahead of the next season. 

Gujarat Titans 

The Titans are a very solid IPL team, but one aspect where they were a bit short last season was that their batting was a bit limited. With Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan being the prolific opening pair, they felt the need for a high-quality number three batter who can bat at a high strike rate to elevate the team’s scores. 

That’s where Bairstow can come in as a boon for the side, as he not only removes the obligation of playing the likes of Kumar Kushagra or Anuj Rawat as the keeper, but his experience in the top order would be absolute gold for Gill’s team. He would help them get above-par totals, which would then make their bowling attack’s job easier.