MI Retained & Released Players List for IPL 2026: Full Squad Update

The final list of retained and released players by the men in blue (Mumbai Indians) for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction has been revealed. With only a purse of around Rs 12 crore (the lowest among eight franchises), MI’s decisions have been a tightrope walk — to retain their core strength but at the same time open slots to address crucial weaknesses in the squad. Here, in this article, we will provide you with a complete update on who were retained by the franchise as well as released players of the side and what its purse status for IPL 2021 is now shaping up to be like and how does this translate into IPL auction pickings.

Why Retention Matters

Before every IPL auction, teams have to determine which players they want to retain – those they cannot do without in a tournament like this – and which ones to let go of, freeing up slots that are available for purchase. Keeping the core insures stability and continuity, while cutting these others creates openings to find more suitable talent for current needs. For MI, the 2025 edition did reveal some chinks (mostly in finishing, lower-order batting and death bowling). With IPL 2026 around the corner, MI’s retention and release statement indicates that they will be looking to plug their holes.

MI Retained Players for IPL 2026

MI opted to maintain a solid core of experienced and talented players. Altogether, 17 players are returning.

Here’s a complete rundown of the players coming back, their roles and value to the team:

Player	Role / Position
Jasprit Bumrah	Fast bowler – MI’s strike and death-overs specialist
Hardik Pandya (C)	All-rounder & Captain – senior leader, finisher and balance for team
Suryakumar Yadav	Batter – provides middle-order firepower and aggression
Rohit Sharma	Batter – veteran presence, opener/top-order anchor
Tilak Varma	Batter / All-rounder – young talent and future of MI’s batting lineup
Deepak Chahar	Bowler – Indian pace/swing option for new season
Trent Boult	Bowler (overseas) – overseas pace spearhead, experienced death-over bowler
Will Jacks	All-rounder (overseas) – adds batting + bowling flexibility
Ryan Rickelton	Wicketkeeper-batter (overseas) – backup to wicket-keeper/batting depth
Robin Minz	Wicketkeeper-batter / Batter – domestic option behind the stumps or in batting order
Naman Dhir	All-rounder (Indian) – supports batting and bowling flexibility
Mitchell Santner	All-rounder (overseas spinner/all-rounder) – spin and balance in the team
Corbin Bosch	All-rounder (overseas) – adds depth in batting and bowling all-round skills
Raj Angad Bawa	All-rounder (Indian) – young talent, potential long-term investment
Ashwani Kumar	Bowler (Indian) – domestic bowling depth for MI
Raghu Sharma	Bowler (Indian) – further strengthens home-grown bowling resources
Allah Ghazanfar	Bowler / All-rounder (overseas) – adds overseas variety and depth to MI bowling unit

By retaining this set, MI have attempted to find a decent mix of experience and youth; batting depth and bowling variety (pace + spin), as well as a reasonable number of all-rounders.

MI Released Players Ahead of IPL 2026

Along with retentions, MI parted ways with a bunch of players — some seniors, some fringe — to create spots and purse balance. MI players who will be released in 2026.

Released Players:

• Arjun Tendulkar (traded to Lucknow Super Giants – LSG)
• Satyanarayana Raju
• Reece Topley
• KL Srijith (or Krishnan Shrijith / KL Shrijith as variant)
• Karn Sharma
• Bevon Jacobs
• Mujeeb Ur Rahman
• Lizaad Williams
• Vignesh Puthur

In the list of 23 players, the actuon-transfer move of Arjun Tendulkar to LSG is a big talking point – having come through trade. For others, MI appears to have taken a call to give away in course of rebalancing, as well as making space for options at the auction.

MI’s Purse & Auction Room

Following retentions and trades, MI enter the 2026 mini-auction with a meagre purse in hand. They are left with only ₹ 2.75 crore.

With handy pocket and available slots, MI have a tightrope to walk: that will largely be made obvious in the auction where they will need to pick their move with discretion hoping these are cost-effective players who can meet needs e.g., finisher, good all-rounder or spinner/fast bowler giving support to the core.

With such small budget, pre-auction trades are retentions become all the more crucial in moulding MI’s 2026 squad.

What This Retainment Strategy Means for MI

By keeping their core intact and releasing or sending one or two fringe players away, MI seem to be targeting these aims:

• Experience + Stability: With players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (c), Jasprit Bumrah – MI hold on to experience and leadership that can win matches.
• Balanced Team : MI has a good balance of Batsmen, Bowlers, Al Rounders, spinner and pace option which can tackle various stages of the game (Powerplays, Middle overs & death) 1.
• Youth & Future Potential: With the emergence of the likes of Tilak Varma, Raj Bawa, Allah Ghazanfar and other names there lies a mix that MI are after- player who may provide big returns in future while ensuring their present is robust enough.
• Need-Based Auction Strategy: With the purse drying up, expect MI to go after under-priced players — may be uncapped lot from India, young Indian cricketers, or overseas talents who are available at decent price.

But this tactic has its risks, too: A small purse doesn’t afford the same wiggle room in the auction, nor as many Plan B options if injuries or bad form should set in. MI have to be very strategical and sensible in their auction picks to not make the side lop-sided.

Key Takeaways — MI’s Strengths & Challenges

Strengths

• They have a powerful core of winners and experienced players.
• Squad balance batters (pace and spin), bowlers (pace and Spin) All Rounders, wicket keepers.
• Good balance of youth and experience — good for long-term sustainability.
• Smart pre-auction moves: trades plus retentions to maximize team value within budget.

Challenges Ahead

• Purse: 2.75 crore Not too much in hand to play around with clicks here IBTimes Very limited purse (₹ 2.75 crore) will make it difficult for the players to display auction strategies, as Jungle Crows probably has one of the lowest possible total owned by all team put together in the upcoming KPL season.
• Just a few slots available – MI has to be smart before they end up with a thin squad.
• All four of the key faces were in a slew of replacements could be difficult to find should one key face get injured or fall out of form due to purse restraint.
• Auction pressure: MI are once again not the leading bidders at auctions, and therefore need to hit value buys – which is a bit of lottery most times.

What to Watch Before the 2026 Auction

Here are some of the questions fans and experts will expect the MI team management to answer at the 2026 mini-auction:

• Can MI get a finisher or batsmen in middle order that they can rely on, given their purse constraints?
• In what might be its only real leverage against the other franchises, MI would perhaps bid only for a budget spinner or pacer as reserve to their core bowlers.
• Will they gamble on young, uncapped Indian talents for building future strength?
• How many overseas players will they select — considering domestic/overseas ratio and slot restrictions?
• Will their tight purse strings mean they fail to get all the high-demand players — or will they land some steals?

The answers to these will shape MI’s 2026 IPL campaign significantly.

Read More: KKR Vs MI Head-to-Head in IPL, Records, Stats & Results / RR Vs MI Head to Head in IPL, Records, Stats & Results

Conclusion

The “MI Retained & Released Players List for IPL 2026” shows an astute approach of continuity, stability and financial sanity. By keeping their cluster, a mix of battle-hardened veterans and young sparks, MI will continue to compete while allowing some players to go opens the door for fresh blood. But with a low purse of ₹2.75 crore, performances will take center-stage for MI at the auction to come. If they do, MI can go into IPL 2026 with a balanced and effective team ready to compete.

As a MI fan/follower, now you have a complete picture of the kind of team that is up for grabs in 2026 and then base our expectations on what they will go all out for.

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