Mumbai Indians (MI) have announced their list of retained and released players on Saturday, November 15. The 2026 MI retention list was mostly on expected lines, but a few releases and acquisitions are under debate. The retention list is a precursor to the much-awaited IPL 2026 mini-auction, which is set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Although most teams will not make wholesale changes to their rosters, it will be an important event to fill the holes seen in the 2025 edition. Keeping our focus on the Hardik Pandya-led side, let’s take a look at the MI trade players and the list of retained players.

2026 MI Retained Players & Released Players

The five-time champions fared well in the 2025 season with eight wins in 14 games, helping them secure a playoff spot. After a 20-run win over the Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator, they suffered a five-wicket loss to the Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2, bringing their campaign to an end.

They always donned the 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 & 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥 with pride 💙✨

And they will always be a part of our #OneFamily 🫡 pic.twitter.com/JOlpXxYnlE

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 15, 2025

The 2026 MI retention list has the presence of core players like skipper Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma. Indian T20I captain, ‘SKY’ was the team’s best batter last season with 717 runs, while Sharma was second with 418 runs. Bumrah was the second-highest wicket-taker for the side with 18 wickets. Notably, Trent Boult, who was MI’s finest bowler with 22 scalps, will also stay with the side for the 2026 season. The other key retentions were Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickleton, and Will Jacks.

2026 MI Retained Players List: Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickleton, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Naman Dhir, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Allah Ghafanzar, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks.

2026 MI Trade Players List: Shardul Thakur (from LSG), Sherfane Rutherford (from GT), Mayank Markande (from KKR)

2026 MI Released Players List: Satyanarayana Raju, Vignesh Puthur, Reece Topley, Bevon Jacobs, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Lizaad Williams, Karn Sharma, KL Shrijith, Arjun Tendulkar (traded to LSG)

Surprising Retention from MI

We will say: Raj Angad Bawa, One of the players, who shockingly survived an axe from the 2026 MI retention list, was Raj Angad Bawa. The young all-rounder was a part of three MI games in the last edition, and remained unbeaten on 8 in his solitary innings during the Qualifier 2 game against the Punjab Kings.

Heading into the #TATAIPLAuction, already looking like a… 𝗪𝗢𝗪 😍💙 pic.twitter.com/WnV6jkW78w

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 15, 2025

Moreover, his performances in the domestic circuit weren’t satisfactory enough to find him among the 2026 MI retained players list. In four Ranji Trophy 2024-25 games, he has scored 184 runs at an average of 26.28 and picked three wickets.

Do Sherfane Rutherford and Shardul Thakur Trades Make Sense?

Ahead of the retention list deadline, Sherfane Rutherford and Shardul Thakur had a presence among MI trade players. After going unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, Thakur came in as an injury replacement for Mohsin Khan in the LSG squad. He did well to grab 13 wickets in 10 games, with the best figures of 4/34 coming against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

📰 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗨𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗞𝗨𝗥 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗔𝗜 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗣𝗟 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Read more 👉 https://t.co/bwcjR4dDQs pic.twitter.com/NjvmKRA3NZ

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 13, 2025

However, with the presence of specialist pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, MI will be more interested in incorporating one/two spinners in the XI. When the side plays away games in spin-friendly venues like Chennai, Lucknow, and Kolkata, they will look to play with two spinners, which further lessens the chances of inclusion of Thakur. Although Shardul Thakur returns to home ground, he doesn’t add enough value to the Mumbai-based franchise.

Related Article：Sherfane Rutherford Trade：GT Lets Star Batter Go to MI

📰 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗘 𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗔𝗜 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦

Read more 👉 https://t.co/13g4GNOoRY pic.twitter.com/cKqUu5zlbT

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 13, 2025

MI brought Rutherford into their fold and bolstered their list of power-hitters for the 2026 edition. The southpaw garnered 291 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 157.29, helping the Titans accelerate the run rate in the middle and the slog overs. Rutherford could be a perfect No.6 for MI to help them get a solid finish, along with Hardik Pandya and Naman Dhir in IPL 2026.

3 Players MI Can Target in IPL 2026 Auction

After the 2026 MI retained players list is out, the remaining purse for the franchise ahead of the auction is INR 2.75 crore. There is not much, but they can still try to target these 3 players for their 2026 squad.

#1 Michael Bracewell

Currently, the Mumbai Indians don’t have the presence of enough quality all-rounders. Bracewell, who went unsold in last year’s auction, will be among the key targets for the franchises. The left-hander scored 227 runs and picked four wickets for MI New York in the Major League Cricket 2025 season, playing a key role in their title victory. With a good idea about team management, he can be a good fit for the franchise.

#2 Jonny Bairstow

The veteran English batter came in as a temporary injury replacement for Will Jacks in MI’s squad for the IPL 2025 playoffs. He impressed by smashing 87 runs in two innings under pressure situations, and many are deeming him a suitable batter as per the team’s intent. As Jacks or Ryan Rickelton could be accommodated in the middle-order, Bairstow could again be pairing up with Rohit Sharma to provide a sublime start to the side.

#3 Ravi Bishnoi

The former World No. 1 T20I spinner was released from the LSG squad ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. The reason is his below-par performances in 2025, with just nine wickets in 11 games. However, with the release of Karn Sharma, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Vignesh Puthur, MI would look to secure the services of an experienced spinner like Bishnoi, who has 72 wickets in the cash-rich league.