New Delhi: The last time the Mumbai Indians (MI) lifted the IPL trophy, COVID-19 was at its peak, MS Dhoni had just announced his international retirement, and Rohit Sharma was yet to be named as India captain, but they are one of the favourite teams to lift the title in the 2026 season. The five-time champions retained most of their core squad that helped them reach Qualifier 2 in IPL 2025 and entered the auction with the smallest purse of just Rs 2.75 crore.
MI bought Quinton de Kock for Rs 1 crore, who is expected to be the backup option for Ryan Rickelton. The Mumbai-based franchise also picked some uncapped Indian players, including Vidarbha batter Danish Malewar, left-arm pacer Mohammed Izhar, and spin all-rounders Atharva Ankolekar and Mayank Rawat.
MI also traded back Mayank Markande from KKR, ensuring depth in their squad. Rohit Sharma is expected to open the innings alongside Ryan Rickelton, while Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya will bat in the middle-order to ensure the attacking approach against both pace and spin.
In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah remains the league’s most dangerous death overs specialist, while Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar will swing the ball in the initial overs. The fast-bowling options are further reinforced by Corbin Bosch, Hardik and Shardul Thakur.
MI also have versatile spin all-rounders like Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, and Naman Dhir in the squad, giving the team more flexibility in combinations. Leadership is another crucial strength of the Mumbai-based franchise, with experienced players like Rohit, Hardik, Suryakumar, Santner and Bumrah guiding the team in pressure situations. MI will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against KKR on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai Indians full squad for IPL 2026
Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton.
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Danish Malewar.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (C), Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Atharva Ankolekar.
Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Mohammad Izhar.
Spinners: Allah Ghafanzar, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Markande.
Mumbai Indians predicted XI for IPL 2026
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar and Mayank Markande.
Overseas players likely to feature in playing XI – Ryan Rickelton, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult