Even though the Mumbai Indians team looks quite strong before the IPL 2026 auction, they will still have to fill five slots.
MI eyes on pick 5 players: The previous season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was not particularly successful for Mumbai Indians (MI). However, the five-time champions have significantly strengthened their squad even before the auction. They have already assembled a team of 20 players by acquiring three players through trades, meaning they won't need many more. MI will now look to acquire players at the auction who can step in if someone gets injured or takes a break. Let's take a look at the five slots for which MI will be searching for better players to fill at the IPL 2026 auction.
MI have released Reece Topley and Liyad Williams, which means they will need another foreign fast bowler. However, there's a catch. Since they have only one foreign spot left, they will have to be judicious. They will need another foreign fast bowler, besides Trent Boult, who can bowl in the middle overs.
If Ryan Rickelton does not perform as an opening batsman, the Mumbai Indians cricket team will need wicketkeeper backup besides Robin Minz. This also means they will be looking for another opening batsman. In such a scenario, they might have their eyes on either Prithvi Shaw or Vansh Bedi.
Mumbai Indians have released two spinners, Vignesh Puthur and Karn Sharma, so they will be looking to bring in another spinner alongside Allah Ghazanfar and Mayank Markande.
MI will try to include another Indian fast bowler in the team, in addition to Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur. Deepak Chahar has injury concerns, and Shardul Thakur is a hit-and-miss bowler. Simarjeet Singh or Akash Madhwal could be among the fast bowlers the team will be looking at.
Foreign fast bowlers - Gerald Coetzee, Anrich Nortje, Josh Tongue, Matt Henry, Sonny Baker or Spencer Johnson.
Indian wicketkeepers - Lovejeet Sisodia or Vansh Bedi.
Opening batsmen - Prithvi Shaw or Shaik Rasheed.
Indian fast bowlers - Simarjeet Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Chetan Sakariya or Akash Madhwal.
Indian spinners - Rahul Chahar or Kumar Kartikeya.
Hardik Pandya (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickelton (Wicketkeeper), Robin Minz (Wicketkeeper), Raj Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Naman Dhir, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Allah Ghazanfar, Ashwini Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande and Shardul Thakur.