Ever since 2022, the Mumbai Indians (MI) have been the team to hit the second-most fours (912), second-most sixes (515) and operate at a fantastic strike rate of 146.37, which is only second to RCB’s 147.3. Needless to say, MI have had a threatening batting lineup and at IPL 2026 it isn’t going to be any different. What’s more, they have also added Sherfane Rutherford to the team, meaning more firepower.
Now, with the IPL 2026 retention deadline less than a day away, we take a look at the six batters that MI should not let go. Below, we also talk about two batters that Mumbai can think of releasing as well.
3 MI pillars: Rohit, Suryakumar, Tilak
Three obvious choices are Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. Rohit may not come up with 500+ run seasons but his influence is perhaps the most significant one in MI history. The captain who led to five titles, Rohit, is the identity of the franchise. ‘Mumbai cha raja’, as they call him. With him taking fewer IPL fees than the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit showed that he is happy in his own zone right now.
Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, is the other obvious option. He delivered an all-timer season this year, hammering the most runs for MI in an IPL edition. SKY hammered 717 runs at an incredible average of 65.18 and an SR of 167.92. Since 2020, no other MI player has scored more runs than Suryakumar’s 2767. Tilak Varma remains the other retention pick, who was retained before the 2025 mega auction as well.
Tilak is the present and future of not just MI but also Team India. He is currently leading India A in one-day matches. With 1499 runs at 37.47 and 144.41, Tilak remains one of the best finds of the Mumbai Indians. He is that rock in the middle order and has taken his T20 game to a whole new level as well.
Naman Dhir & Robin Minz
Naman Dhir is another find for the franchise. Despite playing just 23 games for MI, Naman has made a name for himself so much so that it would be tough leaving him out of the first XI. The 25-year-old has an unimaginable strike rate of 180.64 in the IPL. Alongside him, Mumbai Indians should not let Robin Minz go as well.
Touted as the next big thing from Jharkhand, Minz took everyone by a surprise when he sparked a biding war and was sold to GT for Rs 3.60 crore. However, an unfortunate bike accident made him miss the entire season before GT released him. MI siezed the opportunity to sign him for just Rs 65 lakh.
Although Minz didn’t look comfortable in his debut MI season, he has all the talent. So, Mumbai should give him another year and see where the things go from there. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Minz has already racked up 156 runs at an unthinkable 116.42 SR and has been dismissed just once.
Batters MI shoudl release ahead of IPL 2026
- Bevon Jacobs: Had MI not traded Sherfane Rutherford from GT, we wouldn’t have suggested this. However, the West Indian now adds incredible firepower to the finishing area. Hence, Jacobs won’t be needed at all. His poor form this year has been bad as well, with him averaging 27 and maintaining a SR of just 126.79, which is appalling for a finisher.
- Shrijith Krishnan: Although a great talent from Karnataka, but MI can do without him as well. Instead, the Mumbai Indians can look at younger options. There are a loads of them that MI can sign as backup Indian batters. With just 140 runs across six Ranji Trophy matches, the southpaw hasn’t inspired much confidence.
Mumbai Indians (MI) batters available for retention
Rohit Sharma (Rs 16.30 cr), Suryakumar Yadav (Rs 16.35 cr), Robin Minz (Rs 65 lac), Shrijith Krishnan (Rs 30 lac), Bevon Jacobs (Rs 30 lac), Tilak Varma (Rs 8 cr), Ryan Rickelton (Rs 1 cr), Naman Dhir (Rs 5.25 cr)
MI IPL 2025 squad
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Shrijith Krishnan, Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickelton, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, AM Ghazanfar, Reece Topley, Jasprit Bumrah, Lizaad Williams, Karn Sharma, Vignesh Puthur, Satyanarayana Raju, Raj Angad Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Arjun Tendulkar.
(Hardik Pandya & Will Jacks are considered as all-rounders)
