Trent Boult is reportedly gearing up for a return to the IPL 2025, which will be a significant boost for the Mumbai Indians. Boult’s impact this season has been vital, especially as the team came back from a sluggish start to strongly contest for a playoff position.
At 36, Boult was MI’s priciest acquisition during the last major auction, purchased for INR 12.5 crore (approximately US$ 1.49 million). His performance has justified the investment: he’s MI’s leading wicket-taker and sits joint-fourth in the tournament with 18 dismissals, maintaining an economy rate of 8.49. His four wickets for 26 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad also earned him the Player-of-the-Match honour.
The IPL’s recent rescheduling, after its pause on May 10, may impact MI heavily. The franchise might go without three key overseas players: South Africans Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch, as well as England’s Will Jacks.
Cricket South Africa announced on Tuesday that the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for South African players in the IPL were valid only until the tournament’s original end on May 25. Discussions with the BCCI are ongoing to decide what happens next. Rickelton and Bosch are needed back in South Africa for the World Test Championship final preparations by month’s end.
Meanwhile, the ECB has instructed England players participating in the IPL to be back for the home ODI series against the West Indies, starting on May 29. This means that Will Jacks will be required to depart IPL early.
Nagraj Gollapudi is the news editor at ESPNcricinfo.
