Mumbai Indians (MI) have roped in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) ambidextrous all-rounder Kamindu Mendis for their sister franchise in the upcoming edition of the International League (ILT20 2025-26). With the new ILT20 season set to witness an auction for the first time, all six teams announced their list of retentions and pre-signings.
MI Emirates, who have won the title once in the three editions so far, named Kamindu as one of their two latest additions alongside Chris Woakes.
This will also be a great opportunity for Kamindu to audition for the Mumbai franchise and raise his stock for IPL 2026.
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The 26-year-old Sri Lankan was bought by SRH for his base price of INR 75 lakhs and was one of the few positives in an otherwise subpar campaign for the Hyderabad outfit, where they failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished seventh in the table.
In his debut IPL season, Mendis managed 92 runs in five innings, averaging just over 30s. He has delivered with the ball too, picking up two scalps in the seven overs he got to bowl.
After the IPL 2025 as well, Mendis has looked in decent touch for the national side in the ongoing all-format Bangladesh series. During the two-Test leg, Kamindu scored 82 and 12* in the first match and then a 33 in the second game which Sri Lanka won to seal the series 1-0.
Now in the three-match ODIs, Kamindu registered figures of 3/19 in the opening game while striking another 33 in the second match. With the series tied at 1-1, the third game is slated to be held tomorrow (July 8).
Kamindu has been named in the squad for the short-format series as well, which starts off from July 10.
The Mumbai Indians franchise has opted to keep a total of six players as retentions – AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kusal Perera, Romario Shepherd, Tom Banton, Muhammad Waseem.
As mentioned above, they have added two players as of now before the auction in Kamindu and England’s Chris Woakes.
MI is likely to go after a spin-bowling all-rounder in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. While they have the likes of Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks, the England star did not have the best of seasons in IPL 2025 and Mumbai Indians could be looking for a replacement to bolster their spin department as well as their batting. Kamindu is definitely one of the best prospects currently in the role and his stint with MI Emirates is an indication that he is in the radar of the five-time champions.
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