File Image Of Mumbai Indians players© BCCI
Mumbai Indians (MI) have not won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title since 2020, but their squad is one of the strongest among all teams heading into IPL 2026 according to several experts and fans. Former South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis heaped praise on the MI squad, singling out one aspect in particular to highlight the strength of the team. Du Plessis said that having both Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks is similar to having two Andre Russells in the side.
MI purchased England spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks in the IPL 2025 mega auction, while West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford was traded in from Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
Jacks was one of the standout performers of the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2026, winning four ‘Player of the Match’ awards. Meanwhile, Rutherford has been a consistent run-scorer in T20 cricket for his nation and for franchises across the world.
“If you followed Rutherford last year, he was as hot as it can get in terms of T20 cricket. He is in every competition that is being played; he is smoking the ball,” du Plessis said, speaking on ESPNcricinfo.
“Then you have Jacks, who has revived himself in terms of not just being seen as an opener-he’s adding finishing power and his off-spin,” he added.
“It’s like having two Russells in your team, almost, at the moment. Their team is looking unbelievable,” du Plessis concluded.
For the uninitiated, du Plessis compared Rutherford and Jacks’ presence to former West Indies and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell. Russell is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in T20 cricket history, capable of swinging matches on his own with brutal powerhitting or clever death-bowling.
Interestingly, Russell’s 12-year stay with KKR came to an end ahead of IPL 2026. He is now with the franchise as a power coach.