With the IPL 2026 mini-auction scheduled to happen soon, five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) have chiseled their way smartly during the retention phase. After a successful IPL 2025 campaign in which it made it to Qualifier 2, the side led by Hardik Pandya has chosen to hold on to its match-winners during the network season, and look at targeted upgrades in spin, middle-order depth and back up pace options.
The IPL 2026 Auction date has been officially announced by the BCCI on December 16 and it will be held at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. By virtue of submitting their retention lists on the date, MI go into the auction with the lowest wallet – ₹2.75 crore and five open slots including one overseas slot – among 10 teams.
MI IPL 2026 Retained Players
Mumbai Indians have retained 17 players, keeping the core fully intact for IPL 2026.
| Player Name | Role |
| AM Ghazanfar | Bowler |
| Ashwani Kumar | Bowler |
| Corbin Bosch | All-rounder |
| Deepak Chahar | Bowler |
| Hardik Pandya (C) | All-rounder |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Mitchell Santner | All-rounder |
| Naman Dhir | All-rounder |
| Raghu Sharma | Bowler |
| Raj Angad Bawa | All-rounder |
| Robin Minz | WK-Batter |
| Rohit Sharma | Batter |
| Ryan Rickelton | WK-Batter |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batter |
| Tilak Varma | Batter |
| Trent Boult | Bowler |
| Will Jacks | All-rounder |
- Official MI Purse Remaining: ₹2.75 Crore
- Total Retained Players: 17
- Total Squad Count So Far: 20
- Slots Left: 5
- Overseas Slots Left: 1
MI IPL 2026 Released Players List
| Released Player | Role |
| Bevon Jacobs | All-rounder |
| Karn Sharma | Bowler |
| KL Shrijith | WK-Batter |
| Lizaad Williams | Bowler |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Bowler |
| PSN Raju | All-rounder |
| Reece Topley | Bowler |
| Vignesh Puthur | Bowler |
Mumbai Indians 2026 Squad Strategy
The Mumbai Indians seem to have a lot of trust in their seasoned campaigners and some of the young Indian performers. Having a very low purse-cap, MI will stay away from high profile biddings and will rather look out to fill up the needs for few following roles:
Indian Wicketkeeper (Top Priority)
Veteran as back up for Rickelton makes sense in terms of overseas depth but u want a Indian.
Left-Arm Spinner
To assist Santner as well as to add variety to their spin complement.
Backup Indian Fast Bowler
Injury insurance for behind Bumrah, Chahar, Boult.
Finishing All-Rounder
A late-order power-hitter to complement Hardik and Bosch.
MI’s current core already looks strong with:
- Rohit – SKY – Tilak Varma anchoring batting
- Hardik – Bosch – Santner – Jacks filling the all-rounder slots
- Bumrah – Boult – Chahar leading the pace unit
It means MI can go into next week’s player auction with a perfect role-based targets these franchisees will target such players available in stock to have a stronger squad for 2020.
Final Thoughts
Gearing up for the IPL 2026 auction, Mumbai Indians have that clarity, stability and retained group of power. Their purse is not so much - but their plan is well-defined: clever, role-specific purchases rather than budget-breaking buys. With Hardik Pandya as captain and the core still in tact, MI are definitely among the main contenders for an IPL 2026 title.
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