Who Is Danish Malewar? Young Vidarbha Batter Handed T20 Debut In GT vs MI IPL 2026 Match

Mumbai Indians (MI) fielded a much-changed side during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. One of the two players handed their debut caps was young batter Danish Malewar, who opened the batting for MI.

This was not only Malewar’s IPL debut, but also his T20 debut. He replaced the influential Rohit Sharma in the MI playing XI as the five-time IPL champions looked to end their four-game losing streak.

However, the 22-year-old Vidarbha opener could not do much damage on his debut, being dismissed for just two runs off four balls by Kagiso Rabada.

Danish Malewar Career

Danish Malewar is a top-order batter from Nagpur who has made a name for himself in the domestic cricket circuit. He joined the City Gymkhana Academy at the age of seven and trained under coaches Swaroopraj Shrivastava and Nitin Gawande.

He represented the Vidarbha U-14 side at the age of 12 and soon made the transition to the senior side. Malewar scored 783 runs in nine matches during Vidarbha’s title-winning campaign in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. He struck two centuries and six half-centuries, finishing as the team’s third-highest run-scorer.

His exploits in first-class cricket saw Mumbai Indians – famed for their scouting department – pick him up for the base price of INR 30 lakhs in the IPL 2026 auction. While his IPL debut may not have gone to plan, Malewar will likely play a big part in MI’s future campaigns.

MI are playing GT in Match 30 of IPL 2026.