Who is Mayank Rawat? If that is the question you are searching for right now, you are not alone. The 26-year-old Delhi off-spinning all-rounder has just been handed his IPL debut cap by Hardik Pandya, with Mumbai Indians naming him in the Playing XI for the MI vs PBKS IPL 2026 match at Wankhede Stadium. A Mayank Rawat debut that most MI fans did not see coming even 24 hours ago is now live — and here is everything you need to know about the newest MI all-rounder.
ALSO READ: Can MI still qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs?
Why Mayank Rawat Is Playing Today In MI vs PBKS
The short version: Mumbai Indians are patched up. Captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the MI vs PBKS match with a right hamstring injury, and New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner is unwell — both confirmed by Hardik Pandya at the toss.
Hardik’s exact words at the toss: “Rohit is out from the last game. He’s gonna take a couple of games for him to see how exactly where he is. And Mitchell is unwell as well. So Mitchell Santner also is not available. So, yeah, we got a couple of changes. Quinny comes back and we have a debutant, Mayank Rawat.”
With Santner out of the XI, MI needed a spin option — and Mayank Rawat, the off-spinner Mumbai Indians picked up at the IPL 2026 auction, has been fast-tracked into his debut.
Who Is Mayank Rawat? The Basics
Mayank Ram Rawat, born on December 4, 1999 in New Delhi, is a 26-year-old right-hand batter and right-arm off-break bowler who plays for Delhi in domestic cricket. Listed as an all-rounder, he is known equally for his aggressive lower-order hitting and his control with the ball.
Mumbai Indians signed Mayank Rawat for his base price of ₹30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction on December 16, 2025 in Abu Dhabi. He was MI’s 25th and final pick — the signing that completed their 2026 squad.
Quick profile:
- Full name: Mayank Ram Rawat
- Age: 26 (born December 4, 1999)
- From: New Delhi
- Role: All-rounder (right-hand bat, right-arm off-break)
- Domestic team: Delhi
- IPL 2026 team: Mumbai Indians
- IPL 2026 price: ₹30 lakh (base price)
Mayank Rawat, The Spinner Who Was A Record-Breaking Batter First
Before he was picked as a Mayank Rawat spinner option for MI, he was a schoolboy legend with the bat.
In July 2017, playing for Ajmal Khan Cricket Academy in the Gaikwad Trophy North Zone U-19 tournament in Delhi, Mayank Rawat scored 309 runs off just 86 balls — a strike rate of over 320, including a staggering 37 sixes and 16 fours. His team posted 586 in 35 overs. The innings is regarded as the highest strike rate ever recorded in an individual score above 200 anywhere in the world.
He also has an unbeaten 408 off 139 balls in a 40-over local match in 2022 to his name. Across age-group cricket, Mayank Rawat’s batting records are not ordinary numbers — they are outlier numbers.
Mayank Rawat Domestic Career — Slow-Burn Start With Delhi
The path from junior prodigy to Mayank Rawat IPL 2026 debutant was not smooth. He made his Delhi senior debut in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Uttar Pradesh at Wankhede Stadium — his T20 debut ground is the same ground where he is now making his IPL debut today.
Across 11 T20 matches in domestic cricket, Mayank Rawat has scored 114 runs at an average of 28.50 and a strike rate of 122.58, along with 5 wickets.
His first-class debut came in October 2024 for Delhi against Tamil Nadu at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. It was a forgettable outing — he was dismissed for a duck in both innings and went wicketless across 50 overs. But he has bounced back significantly since.
Mayank Rawat DPL 2024 — The Breakout Season That Got MI’s Attention
The performance that arguably earned Mayank Rawat his Mumbai Indians contract came in the Delhi Premier League 2024, where he played a pivotal role in East Delhi Riders winning the inaugural DPL title.
DPL 2024 with the bat:
- 289 runs in 7 innings
- Average: 72.25
- Strike rate: 190.13
- 3 half-centuries, highest score 78
DPL 2024 with the ball:
- 11 wickets in 9 innings
- Average: 16.64
- Economy: 7.04
- Strike rate: 14.18
That is genuine all-round impact — top-three numbers in the tournament in both departments. And for MI’s talent-spotting team, that profile was exactly the kind of bench-strength all-rounder they wanted to bring in for ₹30 lakh.
What Mayank Rawat Brings To Mumbai Indians
Looking at the MI XI against PBKS — Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah — it is clear MI are using Mayank Rawat as a Santner-like all-rounder slot. He bats at No. 8, gives Hardik a sixth bowling option, and offers off-spin variation against PBKS’s left-hander-heavy top order with Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya.
East Delhi Riders vs North Delhi Strikers on the inaugural season of Delhi Premier League T20 at New Delhi on 25th August 2024.
©Perfect Pitch/ Adimazes
For a 26-year-old making his IPL debut, it is a significant role — not a token cap. PBKS are unbeaten at the top of the table heading in, and MI need Mayank Rawat to deliver on the skill set that made him a DPL trophy-winner just over a year ago.
Interesting footnote: in a pre-auction interview, Mayank Rawat said his favourite cricketer is Steve Smith, and Mumbai Indians was a team he had always dreamed of playing for. That dream has become reality tonight at Wankhede.
MI vs PBKS IPL 2026 — Full Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah
Punjab Kings Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Cooper Connolly, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Punjab Kings won the toss and opted to bowl first at Wankhede. Shreyas Iyer confirmed PBKS are going in with an unchanged XI.
Mayank Rawat IPL 2026 Debut — What To Watch For
The MI vs PBKS IPL 2026 match is the biggest stage Mayank Rawat has ever played on. Three specific things to watch for in his debut:
- Matchup against PBKS’s left-handers — Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly give MI a clear off-spin plan. Rawat will likely bowl in the powerplay or inside the first 10 overs.
- Finishing role with the bat — Batting at No. 8, Mayank Rawat may only get a handful of deliveries, but his DPL 2024 strike rate of 190 suggests MI will back him for a late flurry if the situation allows.
- Fielding energy — MI have historically used debutants as livewires in the field. Expect Mayank Rawat to be active on the boundary rope.
With Rohit Sharma out, Santner unwell, and MI sitting eighth on the IPL 2026 points table, a positive debut from Mayank Rawat could change the shape of Mumbai Indians’ remaining season.
For the full updated list of every injured, ruled-out, and doubtful player in the tournament, read our IPL 2026 injured players tracker.
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