Mumbai Indians walk into the WPL 2026 mega auction in an interesting position. They’re still the most successful team in the league but their five retentions have left a few cracks with a small budget that need addressing. Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur and uncapped G Kamalini mean that MI have a star-studded core, but MI now need impact players around them. With a purse of INR 5.75 crore, they can’t afford too many experiments.
What they need most is balance. A finisher, a power hitter, a death-overs bowler and at least one reliable Indian spinner. Luckily for them, there are options available across roles. Here are five players MI should seriously consider at the WPL 2026 auction.
Players MI-W need to target at WPL 2026 auction
Kranti Gaud – India’s rising pacer
Fresh off India’s first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup win, Kranti Gaud’s stock is already soaring. She finished the tournament with 9 wickets, including a standout 3-fer against Pakistan, showing she isn’t scared of the big stage. At just 22, she bowls with heart and aggression, the type of bowler MI love building around. Yes, she can go for a few, but she bowls for wickets, somethign that is more important in T20s. MI’s pace unit has thinned over the years, and Kranti fits the bill perfectly.
Deandra Dottin – Impact signing
Very few players change the atmosphere of a dressing room the way Deandra Dottin does. With 5,390 T20 runs and close to 150 wickets, she brings power, pace and personality. Last season, she cracked 142 runs at a strike rate of 154.35 and also picked 9 wickets for Gujarat Giants (GG). MI are missing a reliable lower-order hitter after last year’s reshuffle. Dottin solves that immediately. Alongisde Amanjot Kaur, she can form a power duo.
Nadine de Klerk – A finisher MI underused
MI had Nadine de Klerk in 2025 yet didn’t give her a single match. This time, they shouldn’t repeat that mistake. The South African all-rounder had a superb Women’s World Cup, scoring at a SR of 131.64 (2nd best after Richa Ghosh) and finishing as SA’s third-highest wicket-taker. She even dragged SA to a dramatic win against eventual champions India with an 84 off 54 balls. MI need a proper finisher, and de Klerk fits that role more naturally than anyone they currently have.
Shree Charani – Underrated World Cup winner
Just like Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani played her part in India’s iconic ODI World Cup win. Well, in fact, she was one of the pillars in the bowling as the left-arm spinner took 14 wickets in 9 innings. She has the guile her with and surprisingly the Delhi Capitals didn’t use her much last season. But she took 4 wickets in 2 innings at an average of 17.75. She bowls tight middle-overs spells and has a knack for smart variations. With Pooja Vastrakar gone and Kerr released, MI need Indian bowling depth. Just 21-years of age, Charani offers long-term value and costs little.
Yastika Bhatia – A familiar face
It must be so hard to become Yastika Bhatia in recent months. She was part of the original ODI World Cup squad but an injury ruled her out of the squad. However, she would eye to make her presence felt via the WPL. MI know exactly what they’ll get with Yastika. Reliability and the threatening opening duo of Bhatia and Matthews.
She has 506 runs for the franchise at an SR of 113.45 and doubles up as a keeper. With Harmanpreet and NSB carrying heavy workloads, MI need a stable top-order Indian batter. Yastika’s experience makes her one of the safest buys of this auction.
Full list of MI’s retentions for WPL 2026
- Retention 1 – Nat Sciver-Brunt (Rs 3.50 crore)
- Retention 2 – Harmanpreet Kaur (Rs 2.50 crore)
- Retention 3 – Hayley Matthews (Rs 1.75 crore)
- Retention 4 – Amanjot Kaur (Rs 1 crore)
- Retention 5 – G Kamalini (uncapped) (Rs 50 lakhs)
- RTM – 0
Purse left – Rs 5.75 crore
MI release list for WPL 2026
Amelia Kerr ✈️, Chloe Tryon ✈️, Jintimani Kalita, Pooja Vastrakar, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shabnim Ismail ✈️, Amandeep Kaur, S. Sajana, Keerthana Balankrishnan, Nadine de Klerk ✈️, Sanskriti Gupta, Akshita Maheswari, Parunika Sisodia
