IPL 2025: Did Akash Ambani thank RCB for not exercising RTM card for Will Jacks?

IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians made a winning bid of ₹5.25 crore for Will Jacks, an English cricketer, at the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction at Jeddah on Monday. The right-handed batter and off spin bowler had a base price of ₹2 crore.

Punjab Kings and Mumbai engaged in a bidding battle to get the England batter after which the bid reached ₹5 crore.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had the option to use their Right To Match (RTM) card for the player but decided not to.

In what appeared as a gesture of gratitude Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani went to shake hands with RCB for not using RTM on Will Jacks.

Jacks played in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

In the IPL, the Right to Match (RTM) card, allows teams to bring back players from the previous season into their lineup.

He scored 230 runs in 8 matches, with an average of 32.85 and a strike rate of 175.57. He also helped RCB chase down 200 to beat Gujarat Titans.

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Mumbai Indians Squad

MI have zeroed in on their playing 12 which includes the bowling partnership of Boult with Bumrah, Ambani told PTI during the second day of the IPL mega auction here.

The five-time champions had unsuccessfully paired Bumrah with Jofra Archer over the last two editions but the continuous absence of the English bowler due to injuries hampered the team's plans.

"Trent Boult and Bumrah are back, that's the partnership that we really wanted. (The) left-armers are a point of difference for us, especially in the bowling line-up," Ambani told the media during his press conference with Andy Flower, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach.

Also Read: List of capped players not opted by franchises

"A lot of the things get dictated, as Andy will tell you, by auction order. You don't kind of get, you can't have a preference on a certain player. It doesn't work like that. We are very, very happy to get Boulty back, of the person (that he is) and of the skill set," he added.

Ambani said it took a lot of convincing for them to go after the rookie Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghaznafar, who was added to the roster for ₹4.80 crore.