Only Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Mumbai Indians, the three teams amidst the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction, will have such a carefree mentality. Even though MI did not make it to the finals last season, they have a well-established squad which was evident on the day the retention lists were submitted.
The primary group was maintained and just the superfluous players were let go as the team had a budget of INR 2.75 crores and thus, would be participating in the mini auction mainly to plug a couple of small gaps.
With a meager budget left, MI will not be able to acquire a high-profile player; instead, they must be judicious during the auction. The squad has one foreign player yet to be signed and with the 2.75 crores left, here are the possible players the squad would look to get.
What Are the Weaknesses for Mumbai Indians?
The Mumbai Indians have nearly every requirement taken care of like RCB and PBKS, and there are no significant weak points in their defense. However, there are some areas where the team could invest to further fortify the squad.
The team is in need of a backup Indian batter to be on the safe side in case any of their main players get injured. Moreover, this once-dominant IPL team could use another Indian all-rounder who can contribute with both bat and ball and can be available if the main players are either resting or get injured.
Players MI Can Target in The IPL 2026 Mini Auction
1. Abhinav Manohar
Whenever the name Abhinav Manohar comes up, the thoughts go to the season he had with Sunrisers when he was not able to perform and consequently was dropped from the team halfway through the season. But the real Manohar was seen during the time at GT as he was playing the finisher’s role and the numbers back the claim.
For GT, he was mainly utilized as a finisher, and although his stats did not sound bad, his strike rate was the one that actually made him a force. The hitter was the one who made the biggest impact as a finisher for GT, and Mumbai Indians’ side could even think about him to fulfill the role of a backup batter.
He was taken by SRH for 3.20 crore during the mega auction but after bad performances his price will go down and perhaps the five-time champions will try to sneak him in at a bargain price during the auction.
2. Aryan Juyal
Ryan Rickelton is the only quality keeper in the team and although Mumbai Indians have Robin Minz, he has not done a lot for them and hardly got any chance in the IPL. The talented batsman has mostly been neglected which implies that the franchise does not trust him much. Under such circumstances, MI can go for the released player of LSG, Aryan Juyal.
With a strike-rate of almost 130 in T20s, Juyal can be a solid backup keeping option for MI, in case Rickelton gets injured or his form declines.
LSG bought him for INR 30 lakh and he should relatively be a low-budget buy for MI.
