Mumbai Indians (MI) have handed an IPL debut to Mayank Rawat for their matchup against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday (April 16): here’s everything you need to know about the hard-hitting all-rounder.
MI's IPL debutant, Mayank Rawat hit five sixes off an Ayush Badoni over in 2024 DPL final
MI signed Rawat for his base price of INR 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction. A hard-hitting middle-order batter who can also bowl off-spin, Rawat generally bats at Nos. 6 or 7 for Delhi, and is expected to slot in at a similar position for Mumbai as well.
Rawat caught everyone’s attention during the 2024 Delhi Premier League, where, playing for East Delhi Riders, he slammed five sixes in the last over of the final against South Delhi Superstarz, bowled by LSG all-rounder Ayush Badoni. During an interview with Sports Today, Rawat had claimed that he even hit six sixes in an over during an IPL 2022 trial but couldn’t find a franchise at the following auction.
On the back of a superb DPL 2024 season, Rawat earned a call-up to the Delhi state side, making his Ranji Trophy debut in October 2024 and playing his first professional T20 in November that year. Though he hasn’t featured in the red-ball cricket since, he has gone on to play 11 T20s, nine in the 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and two in the 2025/26 season.
Now 26, Rawat doesn’t have striking numbers with the bat, however, with 114 runs in eight T20 innings at a strike-rate of 123 and a top score of 29 not out. He also has a bowling career-best of 3-5, against Haryana in the 2024/25 SMAT season.
Rawat is one of the two changes MI have made for the game against PBKS, both triggered by injuries. The injured Rohit Sharma was replaced by Quinton de Kock, while Rawat replaced the unwell Mitchell Santner.
Also read: Why Rohit Sharma is missing Mumbai Indians’ game against Punjab Kings
MI's playing XI and impact player options vs PBKS
Mumbai Indians playing XI against Punjab Kings: Hardik Pandya (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah.
Impact player options: AM Ghazanfar, Corbin Bosch, Raj Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar.
Match 24, Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings
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