Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have named Krish Bhagat as the replacement for spinner all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar, who has been ruled out of the IPL 2026 because of an injury. Bhagat, a 21-year-old right-arm medium-pace bowler, will be added to the squad on a base price of Rs 30 lakh. MI\u2019s move comes as they look to strengthen their bowling options ahead of the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n
MI\u2019s announcement highlighted that Bhagat has already featured in seven first-class matches and nine List A games for Punjab. The youngster is a right-arm medium pacer and has also notched a half-century in List A cricket. The franchise said he offers flexibility as a fast-bowling option and can contribute with the bat in the lower order.<\/p>\n
The franchise also noted that Bhagat had been involved with MI\u2019s set-up for the past two years, having participated in the Reliance Team\u2019s campaign in the DY Patil T20 Cup in 2026. MI further stated that he has been working as a support bowler with the side since the pre-season, paving the way for his entry into the main squad.<\/p>\n
Ankolekar, meanwhile, arrives with a strong youth pedigree. He was part of India\u2019s Under-19 World Cup squad in 2020, and he also earned the Player of the Match award in the final of the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup against Bangladesh in 2019.<\/p>\n
On the field, MI began their IPL 2026 campaign with a win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). But the champions were unable to carry that early success forward, losing their next three matches to Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The rough start places extra urgency on MI to regain rhythm, especially since the opening triumph now looks less impactful given their subsequent results.<\/p>\n
The situation has become even more complex due to an injury concern involving Rohit Sharma. He was forced to leave the field after suffering a hamstring injury during MI\u2019s match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), adding another challenge for the team\u2019s planning.<\/p>\n
MI are scheduled to play their next match against the IPL 2026 runners-up, Punjab Kings (PBKS), at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, with the franchise hoping to steady its campaign and integrate Bhagat effectively into the playing group.<\/p>\n
For context, MI have not won an IPL title since 2020. They were also knocked out in the second qualifiers of the previous season after losing to Punjab Kings by five wickets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have named Krish Bhagat as the replacement for spinner all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar, who has been ruled out of the IPL…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"MI Sign Krish Bhagat as Injury Replacement for IPL 2026","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Mumbai Indians add Krish Bhagat as Atharva Ankolekar\u2019s IPL 2026 injury replacement, boosting their bowling depth with a Rs 30 lakh base price deal.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n