IPL 2026 Auction: 'Mumbai Indians will look for a pace bowling backup,' says Abhinav Mukund

Former India cricketer and Chennai Super Kings batter Abhinav Mukund believes Mumbai Indians will have to be patient and hold a long-term viewpoint as they head into the IPL 2026 mini-auction with a modest purse of Rs 2.75 crore.

Mumbai have already done the bulk of their squad building by retaining 17 players and strengthening smartly through trades, bringing in Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford and Mayank Markande, while trading out Arjun Tendulkar.



With limited funds left, Mukund feels MI will be content to “wait and watch all the action unfurl right around them,” rather than get drawn into bidding wars.

According to Mukund, MI's primary focus is likely to be reinforcing their pace bowling stocks. “With regards to who they want to pick, I would think they would still look for a pace bowling backup,” he told TimesofIndia.com, in a conversation arranged by JioStar, adding that the franchise’s preference for left-arm pacers could shape their strategy, having released Reece Topley.

However, he was quick to point out that MI are unlikely to chase premium overseas fast bowlers. “You can’t even go for the higher premium options where teams might be going for (Matheesha) Pathirana and maybe (Anrich) Nortje and all of these guys,” Mukund observed, suggesting Mumbai will instead hunt for value picks.

One possible area of focus could be an overseas player who fits in at number eight, a slot where Mukund feels Mumbai can steal a march on rivals. “Most other teams would have exhausted their overseas slots. So this overseas slot I’ll use for it,” he said, highlighting MI’s knack for identifying the right fit rather than the biggest name.

Where Mumbai truly stand apart, Mukund believes, is their eye for uncapped Indian talent. “The uncapped Indian players are something that is one of Mumbai Indians’ speciality,” he noted. “It’s not even the guys that even play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali. They go even lower, one ring lower.”

Mukund also touched upon the broader shift in auction dynamics, pointing to the increasing importance of trades. With new rules requiring players to register for the mega auctions, price unpredictability has grown.

“You don’t know what price a certain player will go at,” he said, explaining why negotiating trades beforehand offers teams greater control. “So it’s better that you negotiate a price beforehand… something that is in your control.”

As the IPL ecosystem evolves, Mukund feels active trading windows will become the norm.

Tune-ins: Catch all the action from the TATA IPL 2026 mini-auction, December 16, 2:30 PM onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network