Mumbai Indians Player Release: The 5-time IPL winner Mumbai Indians set to overhaul their squad for the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction for next season. Since 2020, MI hasn’t tasted an IPL trophy and had a mix seasons. The MI-management will eye some potential players and might release some big players ahead of mini-auction.
Purse Issue for MI?
The 5-time winners’ remaining purse for the IPL 2025 auction was Rs 45 crore after spending Rs 75 crore on player retentions which included key players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Rohit Sharma. They entered the auction with a budget of Rs 120 crore in total before retentions began. After the auction, MI remained with 0.02 Million ( Approx 17 Lakhs).
Which players should MI release?
Well their is no-brainers as far as release goes for MI. Prime candidates for that category are those with a massive amount of money. The players which MI should release are:
Deepak Chahar
Signed for a hefty Rs 9.25 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction, Deepak Chahar was expected to bring his Chennai Super Kings pedigree to Mumbai and lead the powerplay attack alongside the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Instead, the 32-year-old pacer delivered a middling campaign – 11 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 9.17 – far from the impact the franchise had hoped for.
Jonny Bairstow
The out of favour England wicket-keeper batter, Jonny Bairstow came in as a replacement for Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton. Bairstow was signed for Rs 5.25 crore. Bairstow made his MI debut in the Eliminator match against Gujarat Titans. He played some glamorous shots in the end. In the upcoming IPL, MI has an eye on Ishan Kishan’s release and if it is done then their is no point for MI to retain Jonny Bairstow.
Charith Asalanka
The current Sri Lankan Skipper Charith Asalanka was part of MI setup in last edition (IPL 2025). He also came in as a replacement for Protean all-rounder Corbin Bosch at a reserve price of Rs 75 lakhs. There is no point for MI to retain Asalanka for the upcoming season.
