England all-rounder Will Jacks is set to return to the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad after missing the first four games 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 hectic winter, during which he played all three formats of the game for the Three Lions. The spin-bowling all-rounder played four out of the five Ashes Test matches in Australia before playing two white-ball series in Sri Lanka and forming part of England’s T20 World Cup squad, where they reached the semi-finals.

Jacks had a great T20 World Cup.

He went on to score 226 runs at a strike-rate of 176.56, along with taking nine wickets to claim a total of four Player of the Match awards.

With a busy winter, Jacks had taken time off and was unavailable for selection for MI in the first four games of the 2026 season. The five-time champions, however, have had adequate replacements to fill the gap left behind by the Englishman in the lower-middle order. 

MI have used Sherfane Rutherford towards the backend of the innings. The West Indies international has scored more than 100 runs this season at a strike-rate of 219.56.

The spin option has been taken care of by Mitchell Santner in Jacks’ absence. However, with the return of the Surrey all-rounder imminent, MI can have a lower-order hitter along with a spinner who can offer them two or three overs in one player.

Jacks was signed by the Mumbai-based franchise in the 2025 auction for a fee of INR 5.25 crore. He went on to contribute 223 runs and six wickets from 13 matches during the 2025 IPL season. 

MI have not had an underwhelming start to the 2026 season, losing three out of their first four games, and currently find themselves eighth in the standings.

Maybe the return of Jacks will be the missing piece of the jigsaw for the Hardik Pandya-led side to kickstart their season.