The IPL 2026 auction is expected to be held in December.
As the IPL 2026 retention deadline comes closer, there’s quite a tension brewing inside the camps across all franchises, including Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI). The five-time champions, MI and defending champions RCB, might make some tactical changes ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 auction
Despite RCB lifting the IPL 2025 trophy, a few gaps were exposed during the campaign. The champions might look to refine the squad rather than rebuild, filling the void, including underperformers players, to deepen their backups.
Liam Livingstone tallied 112 runs in 10 matches at an average of 16 and a modest strike rate of 133.33, taking two wickets at 38 apiece.
Lungi Ngidi, serving as a backup for Josh Hazlewood, bowled in two games at 10.12 economy. Rasikh Dar, signed as the highest-paid uncapped player in IPL 2025 mega auction, managed a single wicket in two outings, conceding at 11.66 economy. Jacob Bethell totalled 67 runs across two innings, striking at 171.79, filling in for Phil Salt.
Salt, a standout performer, 403 runs in 13 matches, averaging 33.59 and a strike rate of 175.98, including a fifty, may still be part of a trade discussion with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) reportedly eyeing him in exchange for Venkatesh Iyer, the league’s third most expensive Indian player.
These players account for around INR 27 crores in purse space. RCB could deploy that toward an all-rounder as a replacement for Livingstone and a backup pace-bowling option to complement the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal.
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Mumbai Indians’ 2025 campaign was a mix of flashes of impressive performances and poor results. Their overseas backups often looked more promising than impactful, forcing them to rethink.
The England all-rounder Will Jacks scored 124 runs in seven innings at an average of 23.3 and a strike rate of 135.46, while picking up six wickets at an economy rate of 8.57. Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand all-rounder, managed 10 wickets from 13 matches at 31.30 apiece. With the willow, he made just 40 runs at a modest strike rate of 121.21.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, largely benched, failed to leave his mark in limited opportunities and was often squeezed out by Ryan Rickelton, Trent Boult, Tim David, and Santner in overseas balance. In his only outing, he took a solitary wicket and went for 14 an over.
Reece Topley also featured in only one match, conceding 40 runs off three overs in his only outing at 13.33 runs per over. Additionally, Deepak Chahar’s recurring injuries again dented his yet another IPL campaign, claiming 11 wickets from 14 matches at an average of 34.18 and an economy of 9.17.
Together, these contracts weigh close to INR 20.25 crore. Releasing them could free the franchise to enter the IPL 2026 auction more aggressively than ever before. Expect MI’s scouting team to target multi-utility players like Cameron Green, given the new salary cap dynamics.
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