Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions have announced list of retained players, go into mini-auction with smallest purse in history They’d made a few smart trades prior to the auction and had no plans of changing things much later on. One of the most successful sides in the history of IPL, MI reached Qualifier 2 last season and appear to be a strong unit with a quality addition. They had very few minor problems, and they’ve likley plugged those holes with their trades this pre-season.
Mumbai Indians didn’t surprise anyone with their retained list. Only names like Robin Minz stood out, as he got chances but couldn’t do much. They also retained their overseas players Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch. The players they released were expected, as most of them didn’t play much last season. Only Karn Sharma, Vignesh Puthur and S Raja played a few games before being released.
Sherfane Rutherford: Potential Middle-Order Power Hitter
Mumbai Indians were one of the most balanced teams last season. They had the best T20I batsmen in the world, the highest run-scorer in T20Is, the No. 1 T20I allrounder and the No. 1 bowler. But even then, they had one thing missing throughout: big hitting in the last overs. Perhaps Sherfane Rutherford can provide something with his big-hitting ability, and if he is used in the middle order, Pandya would have to slip down to be a finisher.
MI also struggled with their fourth fast bowler even though they had Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar. With the impact player rule, they can bring in an extra bowler when needed, and Shardul Thakur’s experience at Wankhede could help the five-time champions. Mumbai Indians finished the season with 14 matches, 8 wins, 6 losses, an NRR of +1.142, and 16 points, ending in 4th place after losing Qualifier 2 to Punjab Kings (PBKS), who won by 5 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
MI IPL 2026 Retained Players
| Player Name | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | Indian |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Indian |
| Tilak Varma | Indian |
| Robin Minz | Indian |
| Ryan Rickelton | South African |
| Hardik Pandya (C) | Indian |
| Naman Dhir | Indian |
| Mitchell Santner | New Zealander |
| Will Jacks | English |
| Corbin Bosch | South African |
| Raj Bawa | Indian |
| Trent Boult | New Zealander |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Indian |
| Deepak Chahar | Indian |
| Ashwani Kumar | Indian |
| Raghu Sharma | Indian |
| AM Ghazanfar | Afghan |
MI IPL 2026 Released Players
| Player Name | Nationality | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Satyanarayana Raju | Indian | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Reece Topley | English | Rs 75 Lakh |
| KL Shrijith | Indian | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Karm Sharma | Indian | Rs 50 Lakh |
| Arjun Tendulkar | Indian | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Bevon Jacobs | West Indian | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Mujeeb ur Rahman | Afghan | Rs 2 crore |
| Lizaad Williams | South African | Rs 75 Lakh |
| Vignesh Puthur | Indian | Rs 30 Lakh |
MI IPL 2026 Traded Players
| Player Name | Move | Trade From/To |
|---|---|---|
| Sherfane Rutherford | IN | GT to MI |
| Mayank Markande | IN | KKR to MI |
| Shardul Thakur | IN | LSG to MI |
| Arjun Tendulkar | OUT | MI to LSG |
MI IPL 2026 Auction Purse
Mumbai Indians remaining purse: ₹2.75 Cr (approx.)
Top 5 Target Players for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026 Mini-Auction
- Chethan – Indian Batter; consistent top and middle-order performer, strong recent form in Maharaja T20 2025.
- Scott Currie – Overseas Pacer; clever medium pacer with variations, trouble for opposition batters.
- Vignesh Puthur – Indian Left-arm Wrist Spin; potential spin and middle-order option, likely low-cost pick.
- Ishan Mulchandani – Indian Batter; versatile opener and middle-order, strong performance in Mumbai T20 2025.
- Naveen ul Haq – Overseas Pacer; reliable backup pacer, effective in early and death overs.
Code: TOPBK
