The Mumbai Indians earned a late entry into the playoffs last season.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) have easily been one of the most discussed franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). With five IPL titles, they sit right at the top of the ladder with their arch-rivals. However, the Mumbai Indians retention list would be one of the important things that their fans would be on the lookout for, ahead of IPL 2026.
The Men in Blue & Gold went through a lean patch in 2024, after they announced the homecoming of Hardik Pandya back to the franchise. The all-rounder was given the captaincy as well replacing Rohit Sharma, and that is what did not sit well with a lot of fans of the franchise.
However, the team was bold enough to bury their 2024 ghosts in 2025, and entered the playoffs the next year, promising another successful season for the fans. Though they went down to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad, the season would go down as a decent one in terms of the performances.
Ahead of the November 15 deadline for the retentions and releases, the franchise and management stand on the foothill of curating the balance of the side for the upcoming season. As a result, here are some probable names of domestic stars, who would or would not feature in the Mumbai Indians retention list.
The Mumbai Indians have always been the franchise which has believed in nurturing youngsters, by picking them at an early stage. A lot of credit for the same must go to the scouting teams who are always at work in order to keep an eye on the best talents going around. Here are some of the top Indian domestic stars who might feature in the Mumbai Indians retention list ahead of IPL 2026.
The 25-year-old from Punjab has been the youngster to watch out for, from the Mumbai Indians franchise since the past couple of years. Acquired by the franchise ahead of the 2024 season, Naman Dhir has been instrumental at the death, showcasing a sublime power-hitting technique.
The all-rounder from Punjab would be of great help for the franchise to assist Hardik Pandya’s prowess in the later stages of the innings. Dhir was tried and tested by the Men in Blue & Gold at No.3 as well, but he has settled into the finisher’s role more often than not. He would be one of the first names on the Mumbai Indians retention list in terms of the domestic players.
The left-arm speedster has not unlocked his full potential so far, but has shown signs of improvement in the matches that he has played in so far. He played seven matches for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025, and picked 11 wickets, showcasing a lot of promise.
Having said that, his economy is what the franchise will want him to work on. Ashwani Kumar has conceded runs at an economy of 11.31, which is out of bounds. Despite that, the young pacer would be on the Mumbai Indians retention list (MI retention list 2026).
Now this might raise quite a few eyebrows, but Shrijith Krishnan is less likely to be released by the Mumbai Indians anytime soon.
Shrijith has a lot of potential as a wicketkeeper and has been training with the team for quite some time now. On top of that, he has scored 393 runs in 17 innings in T20s in domestic cricket with an average of almost 33. Hence, a spot on the Mumbai Indians retention list looks certain.
With the team for a few years now, Arjun Tendulkar has made a lot of improvement in his bowling skills over the years. Though he has played a limited amount of matches for the Mumbai Indians, he could be considered to be on the MI retention list 2026.
In 2023 and 2024 combined, the left-handed all-rounder has played five matches for the franchise, garnering three wickets at an economy of just under 10. With Trent Boult and Ashwani Kumar as the other left-arm pacers, Tendulkar would be a value addition.
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Having said that, the retentions cannot be without some releases from the franchise. And hence, here are a few names which can find themselves in the Mumbai Indians released players 2026 list.
The promising U19 all-rounder has been with the Mumbai Indians for the last couple of years. However, he has not been able to add a lot of value in the middle-order for the five-time champions. And hence, Raj Bawa could find himself in the Mumbai Indians released players 2026 list.
Hardik Pandya and Naman Dhir are both the all-rounders that the team has banked on in most of their fixtures. More often than not, they have provided the explosiveness in the lower-order, and have also chipped in with some overs.
The 26-year-old right-arm pacer was acquired by the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2025 season. However, he played just two matches in the season and was able scalp a solitary wicket, and could not stamp his authority.
The right-arm speedster would be one of the first bowlers to be considered for the Mumbai Indians released players 2026 list. One of the things that would not work in his favour would be his economy, which is a whopping 13.25.
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