Without any doubt, the Mumbai Indians (MI) have been one of the most constantly discussed franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Their five IPL titles put them at the top of the competition along with their traditional rivals. Still, the retention list of the Mumbai Indians would be one of the crucial factors that their supporters would closely monitor, before IPL 2026.
The Blue and Gold team saw a fall from grace in 2024, right after they declared the return of Hardik Pandya to the team. The all-rounder took on the role of captain, thereby replacing Rohit Sharma, and that was probably the cause of discontent among a large number of the team’s supporters.
However, the franchise was very adventurous to put to rest their 2024 misfortunes in 2025 and reached the playoffs the following year, indicating another successful season for the fans. Even though they lost to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad, the season would be remembered for good overall performances.
Franchise and management are now at the critical juncture of defining the team for the upcoming season with the deadline for retention and releases being November 15. Therefore, we can speculate the names of some domestic stars the MI might have on their retention list or not.
Top India Domestic Stars In Mumbai Indians Retention List
The Mumbai Indians have always been that franchise which has had the vision to nurture the youngsters by selecting them at an early stage. The scouting teams who are continuously working to discover the best talents in the league surely deserve a lot of credit for this. Here are the top Indian domestic players who may find their names on the Mumbai Indians retention list ahead of IPL 2026.
Naman Dhir
The 25-year-old from Punjab has been the youngest player to look out for the Mumbai Indians franchise for the last couple of years. Naman Dhir acquired by the franchise before the 2024 season, has been very effective in the death overs bringing out a very good power-hitting technique.
The all-rounder from Punjab would provide great assistance to the franchise to support Hardik Pandya’s batting in the later stages of the innings. Dhir was tried and tested by the Men in Blue & Gold at No.3 as well, but he has settled into the finisher’s role more often than not. He would be one of the first names on the Mumbai Indians retention list in terms of the domestic players.
Ashwani Kumar
The left-arm fast bowler has not been able to fully discover his potential yet, but he has exhibited his improvement through the matches he has played so far. In IPL 2025 he played seven matches for Mumbai Indians and took 11 wickets, which was a good amount of promise shown.
On the other hand, his economy rate is something that the franchise would want him to improve upon. Ashwani Kumar has given away runs at 11.31 economy which is completely unacceptable. Nevertheless, the young pacer would still be on the Mumbai Indians retention list.
Shrijith Krishnan
This statement could be a little controversial, but at least for now, Shrijith Krishnan is not going to be released by the Mumbai Indians.
The kid has a super good talent as a keeper and is with the team for training sessions for more than a couple months. Not to mention, in this year’s domestic T20 cricket, he has already hit 393 runs in 17 innings, which is almost 33 runs of average. Thus, it seems very likely that he will get a place in the list of retained players of Mumbai Indians.
Arjun Tendulkar
Now, Arjun Tendulkar, who has been with the team for a few years, has not only been working on his bowling skills but has also managed to make quite a bit of progress in the others. He has not played many matches for the Mumbai Indians, but still, he could be put on the MI retention list 2026.
In total, the left-handed all-rounder has played five matches for the franchise in 2023 and 2024 together, taking three wickets at an economy of just under 10. Tendulkar would be a good addition to the left-arm pacers group that includes Trent Boult and Ashwani Kumar.
