With 2026 version of Indian Premier League (IPL) inching closer, all teams have announced their retention and release lists. Mumbai Indians (MI), one of the most successful sides in IPL history, announced squad changes as well as retention and release calls before the mini-auction. With only ₹2.75 crore of the purse left, MI’s strategy revolves around a strong core with selective changes.
In this post we detail MN’s retention, releases, trades and discuss what this might imply for their 2026 season..
MI’s Strategy for 2026: Stability + Select Improvements
The MI retained list reflects a strong emphasis on stability and continuity. Instead of blowing everything up, they have held on to their best players — a mix of established veterans and budding young talent. It implies that we believe in the capabilities of our core team to execute, yet gives space for sharpening the rough edges.
Meanwhile, MI has not even blinked and made sure to balance it’s team through timely releases and trades. MI has opened up spots — by releasing few players and trading a few others — to attract talent which addresses their current team needs – specifically all-rounder, bowling and finishing skills.
The low balance in the purse — ₹2.75 crore — will leave MI with little to play with in the It makes their retention picks and the players they’ve already acquired via trade even more paramount.
Full List: Retained Players for IPL 2026
Here is a full list of players retained by MI ahead of the 2026 auction.
| Player Name | Role / Description |
|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | Fast bowler — key strike bowler |
| Hardik Pandya (C) | All-rounder & Captain — senior leader, finish-ball hitter |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batter — middle-order firepower |
| Rohit Sharma | Batter — veteran leader and opener/top-order batter |
| Tilak Varma | Batter / All-rounder — young talent in batting line-up |
| Deepak Chahar | Bowler — Indian pace / swing option |
| Trent Boult | Bowler — overseas pace spearhead |
| Naman Dhir | All-rounder / Batter — domestic talent, gives balance |
| AM Ghazanfar | Bowler / Spinner — overseas bowling option |
| Mitchell Santner | All-rounder / Spinner — overseas spin & all-round balance |
| Will Jacks | All-rounder — overseas batting & fielding depth |
| Corbin Bosch | All-rounder — overseas all-round depth |
| Raj Angad Bawa | All-rounder / Batter — young domestic talent |
| Rash Raghu Sharma* ? | (Often listed as “Raghu Sharma”) Bowler / Domestic talent |
| Ashwani Kumar | Bowler / Domestic talent — backup bowling depth |
| Robin Minz | Wicket-keeper / Batter — domestic backup wicket-keeper |
| Ryan Rickelton | Wicket-keeper / Batter — overseas wicket-keeper/batter |
*Note: Some sources list “Raghu Sharma” among retained; others mention “Raghu Sharma / Raghu” — names may vary slightly by reporting.
Total retained players: 17 Cricket Timelines+2Cricxtasy+2
MI, therefore, have the right blend of batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders and wicket-keepers – veterans with experience, overaseas firepower as well as a strong bench strength.
Released Players, Trades & Squad Changes
You can have no retention list without defections. MI also traded out a few players to get their 11 better balances. Here are the key changes.
Released Players
The players below have been released by MI before the IPL 2026 auction.
- Reece Topley (English)
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghan)
- Satyanarayana Raju (Indian)
- Lizaad Williams (South African)
- Arjun Tendulkar (Indian) — Trade out but he is out of MI’s 2026 Plans via Trade.
- Karn Sharma (Indian)
- Bevon Jacobs (South African)
- KL Srijith/ KL Shrijith - (Indian)
- Vignesh Puthur (Indian)
These releases are part of MI’s strategy to release fringe players, over seas bowlers who did not deliver and some Indian players to free the spots.
Trades & New Arrivals
To complement retained core, MI made a few important trade-ins to strengthen weak areas. Key moves include:
| Player In | From / Details | Purpose / Role |
|---|---|---|
| Shardul Thakur | Traded in (from LSG) | Indian seam-bowling all-rounder — adds bowling depth & finishing ability |
| Sherfane Rutherford | Traded in (from GT) | Power-hitter / finisher — overseas batting depth |
| Mayank Markande | Traded in (from KKR) | Leg-spinner — spin bowling option to balance team |
Those are the countering additions that signify MI’s will to fortify both their bowling (Thakur, Markande) and batting power/flexibility (Rutherford), and keep the squad balanced in shaping up.
Meanwhile, MI also officially traded out Arjun Tendulkar — providing him an opportunity elsewhere.
Remaining Purse & Squad Size
With the retentions and trade decisions over, MI now head into the 2026 auction with only ₹2.75 crore in purse.
They currently posses 17 retained players and 3 traded-in players — this implies that MI have ~20 players in the bag till date.
With the purse cap and few vacant slots (Including just one overseas slot), MI might go easy in this auction — target a domestic talent or 2 at cheap side, try for some specific foreign players to fix the weak links.
What This Means for MI’s 2026 Campaign
This is what MI’s 2026 retentions could mean, and how they will fare in the impending season:
- Consistency Through Core Players
- With seniors such as Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Quinton de Kock, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav are still in place, it looks like the spine of the team will stay undisturbed. Their wealth of experience and match temperament will bring stability, especially in crunch games.
- The option of playing overseas and Indian all-rounders can make up for the lack in either role, flexibly adapted to varying match situations.
- Balanced Team Composition
- In a combination of pace (Boult, Chahar, Ghazanfar), spin (Santner, Markande) and all-rounders (Pandya, Jacks, Bosch, Bawa), MI has attempted putting together a well-rounded unit that can adjust to different pitch conditions and adapting match situations.
- Multiple equite optioned WK and batters a step in maintaining squad depth, esp as back-up.
- Space For Younger Talent and The Future If we hadn’t have won last season I didn’t see Fabinho being in our future, he was a great player but other bodies meant that maybe he wasn’t what we needed.
- In the form of including younger domestic players such as Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir and Raj Angad Bawa in addition to backup player reveals MI’s intent for long-term benefits by grooming talent.
- Exchanging players such as Mayank Markande and Shardul Thakur is indicative of addressing the weak-links in their set up now, but at the same time relying on youth for seasons to come like before.
- Room for Young Talent & Future Planning
- Inclusion of younger domestic players like Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Raj Angad Bawa — along with backup players — shows MI’s intent to nurture talent for long-term gains.
- Trading-in players like Mayank Markande and Shardul Thakur signals focus on strengthening weak areas now, while still depending on youth for future seasons.
- Limited Auction Flexibility
- With just ₹2.75 crore remaining, MI’s chances of going for big buys in the auction are limited. What that means is the team will have to trust in already held players and new trafe-in players to carry the season.
- MI might also be willing to pick value buys — young or uncapped players over costly foreign stars, preferably to have the maximum budget in play for them.
- Risk & Reward
- The conservative changes to the squad mean MI won’t be too disrupted – though if there are injuries or poor performances from a retained player, their depth will be tested.
- They will need the core not to sour and for younger players or trade-ins to step up when called upon.
Key Highlights & Takeaways
- MI had retained 17 players for IPL 2026 — Rohit and Bumrah along with Hardik Pandya, Surya, Tilak Varma forming the core.
- To achieve the balance and clear slots, they released 9 players (Reece Topley, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Arjun Tendulkar).
- MI made smart trades to get some handy players: Shradul Thakur (seam bowling all-rounder), Sherfane Rutherford (hitting depth) and Mayank Markande (spin option).
- With an amount of only ₹2.75 crore left in purse, this means that MI’s approach this time around will probably be a little conservative — done for value buys and squad depth rather than marquee signings.
- MI have a well-rounded team: combinations of experience, young players, Indian and overseas players which has given them flexibility and options under different playing conditions during match-day situations.
Conclusion
MI Retain & Squad -Re look: With MI lifting the IPL title last year, as we prepare for the start of IPL 2026, some mix of confidence in established performers and strategic course correction shines on their retention sheet. But with a strong core in place and by releasing fringe players judiciously, taking holding on to big names judiciously and making informed trades from 2013, MI have attempted to develop a balanced squad — one that can deliver in various environments across formats.
There’s not much left in the purse and I’d suggest that when it comes to 2026, auction day will be about value and clever picks rather than big-ticket splashes. For the fans, the expectation would be that MI’s core performs well, its new players do their bit and it continues to challenge at the top.
FAQs About MI Retained & Released Players List for IPL 2026
Q1. Which of MI references are retained for IPL 2026?
A1. Seventeen players have been retained by MI for the 2026 auction.
Q2. Who are some of the key players retained by MI?
A2. A few of the retained main players are: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav Tilak Varma Deepak Chahar Trent Boult etc.
Q3. Which were the players let go by MI ahead of IPL 2026?
A3. Among those released are Reece Topley, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Arjun Tendulkar (via trade-out), Karn Sharma, Bevon Jacobs, Lizaad Williams, KL Srijith, Satyanarayana Raju and Vignesh Puthur.
Q4. Who are the new players in MI traded and bought before IPL 2026 auction?
A4. Yes. MI also traded Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford and Mayank Markande to bolster the all-rounder, bowling and spin offerings.
Q5. How much purse MI has for the 2026 auction?
A5. MI have ₹ 2.75 crore left in purse for the 2026 auction.
