The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should put extra packets of snacks on the Mumbai Indians (MI) auction come December 16. After all, they enter the auction with a baby purse of Rs 2.75 crore, which is just over 1 per cent of the total Rs 237.55 crore that would be available at the IPL 2026 auction. MI would be sitting as spectators when some huge names like Cameron Green and David Miller would be creating bidding wars among teams.
However, given their history, expect the Mumbai Indians to make some smart signings. Yes, they have a tiny budget but they still can further bolster their already-stacked IPL 2026 squad. The auction list that has 359 names on it has some incredible talents who can help MI march towards their sixth IPL title in 2026. So, below we discuss what MI actually need at the upcoming mini auction.
MI Purse & slots for IPL 2026 auction
As mentioned earlier, MI have the smallest purse of Rs 2.75 crore. In fact, the team with the closest amount of purse is the Punjab Kings (PBKS) with Rs 11.20 crore. Still, PBKS have just 4 slots remaining as compared to MI’s 5. The Hardik Pandya-led side has five slots remaining, almost all of them being backups, including one overseas pick as well. This is because MI were busy in the trade window and they snapped up Shardul Thakur (from LSG), Sherfane Rutherford (from GT) and Mayank Markande (from KKR).
Players MI should target at IPL 2026 auction
Despite being perhaps the best batting unit, Mumbai need a top-order Indian player. Simply as a backup to an ageing Rohit Sharma. While they can go after some young talents like Swastik Chikara or Sachin Das, but don’t rule out the possibilities of either Prithvi Shaw or Sarfaraz Khan. Both the Mumbai-born players are part of the opening set and have set their base prices at Rs 75 lakh. While Shaw can form a great opening pair with Rohit, Sarfaraz’s surge as a T20 batter is also exciting.
MI have released Reece Topley and Lizaad Williams, which means they’ll need another foreign fast bowler. However, there’s a catch. Since they have only one overseas slot left, they have to be smart about it. They’ll need another foreign pacer other than Trent Boult, preferably someone who bowls in the middle. Gerald Coetzee, Anrich Nortje or Mustafizur Rahman could’ve been great but their base prices of Rs 2 crore rule them out. Hence, we could see MI go after names like Richard Gleeson or Shamar Joseph. It would be interesting if MI want a 150 kmph pacer in Nahid Rana.
| Player | Type |
|---|---|
| Richard Gleeson/Shamar Joseph/Nahid Rana | Foreign fast bowler |
| Tushar Raheja/Vansh Bedi | Indian Wicketkeeper |
| Prithvi Shaw/Shaik Rasheed/Sarfaraz Khan | Opener |
| Simarjeet Singh/Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Ashok Sharma/ Sushant Mishra/Kartik Tyagi/Money Grewal | Indian fast bowler |
| Rahul Chahar/Kumar Kartikeya/Shams Mulani | Indian spinner |
Another crucial buy of an Indian wicket-keeper is a must as well. Ryan Rickelton and Robin Minz are the only two options in the lineup but it would be great if Mumbai have an Indian keeper who bats, preferably as an opener. That’s where Tushar Raheja could be the perfect option. With 488 runs at an average and SR of 61 and 186, Raheja ended up as the highest run-getter at TNPL this year. Vansh Bedi of Delhi is also an exciting talent.
It was strange for MI to release Vignesh Puthur. MI also released Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Karn Sharma, meaning they will eye at least one spinner at the auction. With Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar already there, the target would be an Indian spinner. The options would be Rahul Chahar, who has previously won an IPL with the team. Shams Mulani, a first choice for Mumbai in domestic cricket, could be given a chance too.
At last, Mumbai Indians need a backup pacer as well. There are host of options for that. While Simarjeet Singh might not come cheap, there are other exiting choices like Money Grewal, Ashok Sharma, Sushant Mishra and Kartik Tyagi.
Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL 2026 squad
Players Retained: 17
Players Released: 9
IPL 2026 Auction Purse Remaining: INR 2.75 crore
Slots Remaining: 5 (1 overseas)
Batters retained by MI
| Player | IPL 2026 price (INR) |
|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 16.30 crore |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 16.35 crore |
| Tilak Varma | 8 crore |
| Naman Dhir | 5.25 crore |
| Robin Minz | 65 lakh |
| Ryan Rickelton ✈️ | 1 crore |
All-rounders retained by MI
| Player | IPL 2026 price (INR) |
|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya (C) | 16.35 crore |
| Deepak Chahar | 9.25 crore |
| Mitchell Santner ✈️ | 2 crore |
| Raj Angad Bawa | 30 lakh |
| Sherfane Rutherford (trade from GT)✈️ | 2.60 crore |
| Corbin Bosch ✈️ | 30 lakh |
| Will Jacks ✈️ | 5.25 crore |
Bowlers retained by MI
| Player | IPL 2026 price (INR) |
|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | 18 crore |
| Trent Boult ✈️ | 12.5 crore |
| Shardul Thakur (trade from LSG) | 2 crore |
| Mayank Markande (trade from KKR) | 30 lakh |
| Ashwani Kumar | 30 lakh |
| Allah Ghazanfar ✈️ | 4.80 crore |
| Raghu Sharma | 30 lakh |
Released MI Players
Satyanaryana Raju, Vignesh Puthur, Reece Topley, Bevon Jacobs, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Lizaad Williams, Karn Sharma, KL Shrijith, Arjun Tendulkar (traded to LSG)
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