Mumbai Indians will finish their season without Quinton de Kock or Raj Bawa after both picked up hand injuries in the space of a fortnight.
The franchise confirmed the news on Tuesday morning, making it clear there is no realistic chance of either man returning before the league stage ends. De Kock damaged a tendon in his left wrist ahead of the Sunrisers fixture on 29 April, while Bawa tore a ligament in his right thumb against Punjab Kings last week.
“Both Quinton and Raj Bawa will continue their rehab in their respective homes, with support and guidance from the Mumbai Indians medical team to help them return to play as soon as possible,” MI said. “Mumbai Indians wishes them a quick recovery, and will announce replacements as per IPL guidelines.”
The statement is standard, yet the double blow does tidy up the selection question for the final two matches. MI were already out of the play-off running – they are ninth with eight points from 12 – so there is room to test fringe players rather than rush half-fit regulars.
Form before the setbacks was mixed. De Kock began brightly, an unbeaten 112 on debut hinting at a throwback season, only to follow it with 13 and 7. Bawa’s opportunities were fewer: a single knock of 16 and two wickets for 50 runs across three outings. Those numbers sit in a broader story of a campaign that never quite settled after early defeats.
Coach Mark Boucher, speaking after the Punjab game, struck a philosophical note. “Injuries are part of the landscape,” he said. “You’d prefer them spread across six months, not six days, but we back the squad depth.”
Replacement options are thin but available. England’s Phil Salt is still on the standby list, and there is a school of thought that a like-for-like keeper-opener might free Ishan Kishan to float. For Bawa’s all-round slot the local scouting team have kept an eye on 23-year-old medium-pacer Mohit Avasthi, solid in the domestic one-day cup. Any signing would need league approval inside 48 hours.
Rohit Sharma, short of runs himself, preferred to focus on the human side. “You feel for Quinny and for Raj. It’s frustrating, but the rehab is the priority,” the captain said on Monday. “We’ll try to finish with a bit of pride and see where that takes us.”
Next up is Kolkata at Eden Gardens on Wednesday evening. The ground has not always been kind to Mumbai, and the hosts still have a mathematical chance of squeezing into fourth. MI’s task, then, is simple enough: disrupt someone else’s party and return home with a clearer vision for 2027.
For de Kock and Bawa the season is over, but the timeline for a comeback is relatively friendly. Tendon and ligament injuries of this type often settle inside six to eight weeks, provided there is no surgery. Both are expected to be available for their respective domestic sides by late July.
Right now, that prospect will have to do.
