The Mumbai Indians (MI) head into the IPL 2026 Auction facing one of their most important rebuilding phases in recent years. After falling short in IPL 2025, exiting in the Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings, the five-time champions will look to recalibrate their squad and correct key imbalances that were exposed during the last season.
Mumbai Indians are set for a crucial IPL 2026 Auction after their IPL 2025 exit exposed several gaps in their squad. With key releases like Robin Minz, Reece Topley, Bevon Jacobs, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, MI will aim to strengthen their bowling depth, add a reliable right-arm off-spinner, and inject power-hitting options at the top. Potential retained stars such as Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Tilak Varma form the core, while overseas talents like Jonny Bairstow, Trent Boult, and Mitchell Santner provide balance. Likely auction targets include Kyle Mayers, Nandre Burger, Monank Patel, Tristan Luus, and Michael Bracewell, as MI looks to rebuild a squad capable of challenging for their sixth IPL title.
Mumbai Indians’ 2025 campaign was a tale of two halves. A shaky start saw them lose four of their first five matches. But a strong mid-season revival, including six wins in seven games, reignited hopes of a deep playoff run. Ultimately, inconsistency in key moments prevented MI from progressing to the final, highlighting areas that now demand urgent attention ahead of IPL 2026.
| Category | Player | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BATTERS | ✈️ Jonny Bairstow | Wicketkeeper Batter | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium |
| ✈️ Bevon Jacobs | Middle-order Batter | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium | |
| Robin Minz | Wicketkeeper | Left-hand Bat | Slow Left-arm Orthodox | |
| Naman Dhir | Top-order Batter | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| Rohit Sharma | Top-order Batter | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| Krishnan Shrijith | Wicketkeeper Batter | Left-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batter | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium, Offbreak | |
| ✈️ Ryan Rickelton (Withdrawn) | Wicketkeeper Batter | Left-hand Bat | — | |
| ALLROUNDERS | Hardik Pandya (c) | Allrounder | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium Fast |
| ✈️ Charith Asalanka | Batting Allrounder | Left-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| Raj Bawa | Allrounder | Left-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium Fast | |
| ✈️ Mitchell Santner | Bowling Allrounder | Left-hand Bat | Slow Left-arm Orthodox | |
| Tilak Varma | Batting Allrounder | Left-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| ✈️ Corbin Bosch (Withdrawn) | Allrounder | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Fast Medium | |
| ✈️ Will Jacks (Withdrawn) | Batting Allrounder | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| BOWLERS | Ashwani Kumar | Bowler | Left-hand Bat | Left-arm Medium |
| ✈️ Trent Boult | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Left-arm Fast Medium | |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Fast | |
| Deepak Chahar | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium | |
| ✈️ Richard Gleeson | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Fast Medium | |
| ✈️ Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| Satyanarayana Raju | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium Fast | |
| Karn Sharma | Bowler | Left-hand Bat | Legbreak Googly | |
| Raghu Sharma | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Legbreak | |
| Arjun Tendulkar | Bowler | Left-hand Bat | Left-arm Medium Fast | |
| ✈️ Reece Topley | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Left-arm Fast Medium | |
| ✈️ AM Ghazanfar (Withdrawn) | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Right-arm Offbreak | |
| Vignesh Puthur (Withdrawn) | Bowler | Right-hand Bat | Left-arm Wrist Spin | |
| ✈️ Lizaad Williams (Withdrawn) | Bowler | Left-hand Bat | Right-arm Medium Fast |
As part of their restructuring process, MI are likely to release several players, opening up slots for reinforcements:
These releases could potentially allow Mumbai Indians to plug holes that were exposed during the IPL 2025 season.
Likely Retained Players: Jonny Bairstow ✈️, Naman Dhir, Rohit Sharma, Krishnan Shrijith, Suryakumar Yadav, Ryan Rickelton ✈️, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner ✈️, Tilak Varma, Will Jacks ✈️, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult ✈️, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Arjun Tendulkar, AM Ghazanfar ✈️
While Jasprit Bumrah remains MI’s pace spearhead, the lack of consistent support, particularly outside the powerplay, was glaring. On days when Bumrah struggled or was targeted early, MI lacked options to pull the game back. The lack of experience of Ashwani Kumar and an off season with the ball for Hardik Pandya didn’t quite help. MI will prioritize acquiring bowlers who can operate in the middle overs and offer variety in the IPL 2026 auction.
Potential Targets:
All of them can add significantly to MI’s pace attack, offering flexibility across different phases of the innings.
Mumbai have long lacked a frontline right-arm off-spinner, which creates an imbalance against left-handed heavy batting lineups. Depending solely on the left-arm option of Mitchell Santner with some help from the part-time off-spin of Will Jacks limited their tactical flexibility in IPL 2025. While Jarn Sharma delivered in parts, he wasn’t great enough to be retained.
Potential Solution:
All said and done, someone like Bracewell could not only address the spin gap but also strengthen the lower middle order and is also linked with the MI New York franchise in Major League Cricket. He could be a major target for MI.
While MI boast powerful names like Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma, they occasionally lacked consistency at the very top, especially when chasing big targets or setting imposing totals.
Potential Pickups:
| Player Name | Role | India/Overseas |
| Nandre Burger ✈️ | Left-arm fast bowler | Overseas |
| Tristan Luus ✈️ | Fast bowler (raw pace) | Overseas |
| Umesh Yadav | Experienced Indian pacer | India |
| Michael Bracewell ✈️ | Off-spinning all-rounder, finisher | Overseas |
| Swapnil Singh | Left-arm spinner | India |
| Maxwell Swaminathan | Off-spinning all-rounder | India |
| Harsh Aghav | Leg-spinning all-rounder (lower-order batter) | India |
| Kyle Mayers ✈️ | Top-order power-hitter & sixth bowling option | Overseas |
| Monank Patel ✈️ | Top-order batter | USA |
| Tushar Raheja | Top-order batter | India |
| Sahil Parakh | Top-order batter | India |
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After four seasons without lifting the trophy, Mumbai Indians approach IPL 2026 with both urgency and opportunity. A strong auction performance addressing the exposed gaps could restore their championship credentials. MI’s reputation for unearthing future stars and building formidable squads means no one should write them off.
As the auction approaches, all eyes will be on how the Mumbai Indians recalibrate their squad dynamics in pursuit of their sixth IPL title.
***
Mumbai Indians have released several players ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction. The list includes Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Reece Topley, Raj Angad Bawa, Venkat Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Lizaad Williams, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Vignesh Puthur, and Raghu Sharma. These releases indicate Mumbai Indians’ intent to refresh their squad composition and open slots for new signings in both domestic and overseas categories.
The retained players list for Mumbai Indians features a strong core. Retained players include Jonny Bairstow, Naman Dhir, Rohit Sharma, Krishnan Shrijith, Suryakumar Yadav, Ryan Rickelton, Hardik Pandya, Charith Asalanka, Mitchell Santner, Tilak Varma, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Richard Gleeson, Arjun Tendulkar, and AM Ghazanfar. This group forms the foundation as MI heads into the IPL 2026 Auction.
Mumbai Indians have a few strategic gaps to address before IPL 2026. They need to add bowling depth beyond Jasprit Bumrah, particularly specialists who can control the middle overs. The lack of a consistent right-arm off-spinner remains a tactical gap, especially against left-handed batters. Additionally, Mumbai Indians may look to strengthen their top order with power-hitting options and bolster the leadership group to support Hardik Pandya’s captaincy in high-pressure scenarios.
Several names have emerged as potential targets for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026 Auction. Kyle Mayers offers explosive top-order batting with a useful part-time seam option. Nandre Burger brings left-arm pace to complement Trent Boult. Monank Patel, currently performing well for MI New York, is an Indian-eligible top-order option. Tristan Luus, a promising young South African pacer, represents a long-term fast-bowling investment. Michael Bracewell adds depth as a finisher with part-time off-spin skills, addressing MI’s spinning options.
Mumbai Indians experienced inconsistency in IPL 2025 due to several factors. The team relied heavily on Jasprit Bumrah for breakthroughs, but struggled when opponents targeted him early. The absence of strong bowling support during the middle overs exposed the bowling unit’s depth. Leadership decisions, including bowling rotations and utilization of key players like Mitchell Santner, were debated. The lack of a frontline right-arm off-spinner further limited their bowling variety against certain matchups.
Mumbai Indians last won the IPL title in the 2020 season under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. Since then, they have experienced mixed results, with playoff appearances but no championship wins. Heading into IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians are aiming to rebuild their squad and challenge for their sixth IPL title.
According to IPL regulations, Mumbai Indians can have a maximum of eight overseas players in their full squad. However, only four overseas players can feature in the playing XI during any match. This limitation makes overseas auction selections particularly strategic for balancing roles across departments.
Mumbai Indians are expected to focus on reinforcing their bowling attack, particularly middle-overs specialists and spin variety. The management will also target versatile overseas all-rounders who can contribute with both bat and ball. Identifying emerging Indian domestic talents remains a crucial part of MI’s long-term strategy. Additionally, adding experienced players to support Hardik Pandya’s leadership is likely to be a consideration.
Mumbai Indians’ global scouting network continues to expand through their MI New York franchise in Major League Cricket. Players like Monank Patel, Michael Bracewell, and Tristan Luus have performed impressively in MLC 2025, strengthening their cases for inclusion in the IPL 2026 squad. Their performances in the MI system make them familiar options as the franchise looks to cross-integrate talent across leagues.
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