The Mumbai Indians were eliminated in Qualifer 2 against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.
It has been 18 years since the addition of a new festival to the Indian sports calendar. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become the benchmark for cricket leagues around the globe. As we gear up for the 19th season of the coveted tournament, teams are expected to make a few changes to their squads. As we cruise through the pre-auction window for the next edition, the Mumbai Indians, like every team, will look to restructure, replenish, and build their squads once again.
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The five-time IPL champions haven’t lifted the trophy for the last five years. Things changed, the baton of captaincy was passed to Hardik Pandya, and new combinations were tried at the top. But the trophy has eluded the Mumbai Indians (MI) for the longest time. The men in Blue were eliminated after a disappointing loss to the Punjab Kings last season. The franchise will eye to add some balance and strength to the squad in the upcoming IPL auctions. Here’s a look at the likely MI retentions, possible releases, and how the sea of blue might fare at the Wankhede.
As a franchise, the Mumbai Indians do not believe in the ‘chopping & changing’ theory when it comes to team building. For the last few years, they have been playing with the same core of players. Without a doubt, they may go ahead with the same strategy this time around. One of the biggest strengths of this franchise has been its scouting. They have a wonderful scouting team, which is always on the cusp of unearthing talents and converting them into stars. Here are some of the potential names that the Mumbai Indians will look to retain ahead of the next season:
After being booed by fans in the 2024 edition of the tournament, Hardik Pandya made a fine statement in the recent season. With him at the helm, the team was able to qualify and win the Eliminator. However, Pandya’s captaincy did possess some loopholes. The Indian all-rounder is a great asset for the team with respect to his skills, but his captaincy is yet to make a lasting impact since he has donned the blue & gold. Though the five-time champions will be certain of retaining him, whether or not to place the burden of captaincy on his shoulders again will remain a point of discussion.
India’s ODI captain has been an integral part of the franchise since 2013. Under him, the team has lifted the IPL trophy five times. Rohit Sharma was relieved of his captaincy duties before the start of the 2024 season. However, in the recent season, Rohit got a lot of good starts for the team. His partnerships with Ryan Rickelton have been inspiring the team to get to good totals. This will surely be one of the first names that the management discusses when planning their probable retentions.
India’s T20I skipper has been the best batter for the Mumbai Indians last season. He clocked a score of 25+ in each of the matches played this season, bagging 717 runs, which is the most by a non-opener in a T20 tournament. Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) was also awarded the trophy for the most valuable player in 2025. With his unique shot-making skills, the batter will be at the top of the franchise’s picks for retention in the next season. SKY might also be a choice for captaincy, provided the team doesn’t choose to continue with Hardik at the helm.
There’s nothing to explain here, is there? The name Jasprit Bumrah is enough for any team to know the kind of artistry they’ll possess. Bumrah has been one of the best bowlers for the franchise ever since, and will continue to spearhead the bowling attack. Come a situation where the team is in dire need of wickets, the captain will have no questions for whom to look up to.
The 22-year-old has been one of the best finds for the Mumbai Indians. His ability to read the pace of the game and play accordingly is what adds to the strength of the team. Over the last couple of years, Tilak has shown that he can play cameos, but has also shown the maturity to keep the situation in front of him. He wasn’t in the best of form in the 2025 edition, but the franchise will know that he is too good a talent to let go.
Speaking of talent, here’s another one. Naman Dhir is one of the finds of the MI scouting team. The batting all-rounder has shown immense skill in the lower-order for the franchise this season and will certainly look to replicate the same in the next season. For the Mumbai Indians, Naman Dhir can be the perfect uncapped choice for retention. In the 16 matches played in 2025, Dhir managed to score 252 runs with an average of 31.50. For a batter batting at No.6 and below, these are staggering numbers.
Balance is one of the major components of a good T20 side. And in a tournament as intense as the IPL, good all-rounders are the need of the hour. However, the Mumbai Indians will chop and change some of their aspects before the start of the new campaign. Here are some of the players they will probably release ahead of the next season’s auction:
The left-handed opener played all 14 league matches for the franchise in the 2025 season. He scored 388 runs at an average of 29.84. However, his impact was not very evident in most of the matches as his weaknesses against both pace and spin were very visible. The Mumbai Indians will look for a better replacement and might put their bets on Jonny Bairstow, whom they signed for the playoffs this year.
The English all-rounder didn’t have the best of seasons for the men in Blue & Gold. He scored 233 runs at an average of 23.30, and couldn’t capitalise on the chances he received. He was average with the ball as well and managed to pick six wickets in the campaign. Mumbai Indians will be on the hunt for another good all-rounder to replace Jacks.
This might come as a shock. But New Zealand’s left-handed speedster lost touch with the new ball last season. As his stats suggest, Boult isn’t very economical when it comes to death bowling, and if there is no purchase on the wicket with the new ball, it becomes difficult for him to contain the batters and keep them at bay. Hence, the franchise might look to add another potential bowler alongside Jasprit Bumrah.
The Sri Lankan left-handed explosive batter was roped in for the 2025 campaign. However, Asalanka couldn’t find a place in the team for the entire season. With the MI batting order stacked up with a perfect combination of experience and youth, it might be a very difficult proposition to find a place for Charith Asalanka. As a result, the franchise might let him go.
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Here’s how the Mumbai Indians squad might look after all the retentions and release formalities are completed:
Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir.
Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Charith Asalanka, Trent Boult.
Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
While the Mumbai Indians have been one of the most dominating sides in the history of the IPL, they have some loopholes to fill. The franchise needs a good spinner (unless they retain Santner for an Indian capped player). While their top-order looks pretty much in place, they need a couple of good fast bowlers to share the workload with Bumrah. Moreover, they would like the luxury of having a spinning all-rounder who can bat in the top four, in case someone’s inability to find form. Considering these aspects, here are the potential targets for MI in the IPL 2026 Auction:
The Mumbai Indians would love to have Glenn Maxwell, who was once a part of their squad in the initial years. However, Maxwell could potentially be traded to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Will Jacks. PBKS was playing Joshi Inglis at No.3 and also as a keeper. But with Jacks on the side, they get an extra bowling option. To add to that, Prabhsimran Singh can take up the wicketkeeping duties. This allows Shreyas Iyer and Co. to have an extra bowling option, plus another explosive batter. For the Mumbai Indians, it is a like-for-like replacement. Maxwell can prove to be very handy on decks like Mumbai, where the ball is known to come onto the bat. The Australian can also roll his arm over and give the captain a good couple of overs (minimum) every game.
Acquiring the services of Sam Curran will give the Mumbai Indians a definite edge over other teams. They can potentially make the trade in place of Reece Topley, who is a left-arm pacer. This is not a proper like-for-like replacement, but will surely make sure that Hardik Pandya has a backup player who can give him a couple of overs on his bad day. With the Chennai Super Kings almost sealing their No.3 spot with Urvil Parel, and Ayush Mhatre and Ruturaj Gaikwad taking up the opening spots, Sam Curran’s utilisation at No.3 won’t be executed anymore. As a result, MI can place him after Naman Dhir, thereby improving their batting depth further.
Mustafizur Rahman was unsold in the auction last year. The Bangladeshi left-arm pacer has a knack for variations and can also bowl well in the powerplay. Having a left-arm pacer will allow MI the ability to create different angles and counter the batter while attacking. Mustafizur is a better option over Boult, simply because he can be very useful at the death, with his variations coming into play.
The Karnataka player played well for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the playoffs this season. However, they will be unable to retain him as he was slotted in the RCB camp just for the playoffs. The Mumbai Indians can bank on Mayank Agarwal as a substitute opener in case one of the openers cannot get going. The 34-year-old has proven experience of playing in the IPL and has also represented various teams before. His inclusion will provide a lot of stability and will act as a backup to their explosive batting unit.
Likely retentions include Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir.
Possible releases include Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton, Trent Boult, and Charith Asalanka.
The Mumbai Indians unit would like to strengthen their bowling unit with a good spinner (or bowling all-rounder) coupled with a couple of good pacers, and also provide cushion to the batting with a standby option in the ranks.
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