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It is no real secret that the Mumbai Indians (MI) have been struggling in IPL 2026. With just three wins in 11 matches, MI are ninth on the points table and already out of playoff contention.
Last year, MI staged a wonderful comeback from winning just one of their first five matches to actually qualifying for the playoffs by winning seven of the last nine matches. That comeback has not materialized this year.
There have been a lot of problems plaguing the Mumbai Indians this year. The biggest of them all has been the lack of form of their biggest players.
Former captain Rohit Sharma found some of it in his limited appearances this year, but current skipper Hardik Pandya and Pandya's deputy Suryakumar Yadav have not translated their talent into form. Young stalwart Tilak Varma, too, has blown hot and cold, while ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah has failed to make inroads at a level not seen from any bowler ever before.
Teams that struggle in a particular year indeed make massive changes before the next one. That would be true of the Mumbai Indians as well. The five-time champions have been reduced to merely a shadow of the franchise that won the title five times in the span of eight seasons in the 2010s.
And that problem doesn't seem to be recent. Since winning the title in 2020, the Mumbai Indians have failed to make the final in any subsequent season.
In this article, we will explore the players that are most likely to be released by MI after IPL 2026.
7 Players most likely to be released by the Mumbai Indians after IPL 2026
1. Robin Minz
Minz is a left-handed wicketkeeper from Jharkhand who has made only blink-and-miss appearances for the franchise. In both 2025 and 2026, he has played just two matches each. In what can be considered a funny coincidence, Minz made 6 runs in 2 matches in both 2025 and 2026.
His averages and strike rates are different from each other, though. In 2025, it was an average of 3 with a strike rate of 40, but in 2026, it is an average of 6 and a strike rate of 150. MI have handed him the gloves in all his matches so far, but the presence of both Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton means that MI will arguably let Minz go.
2. Sherfane Rutherford
Traded in from the Gujarat Titans this year, Rutherford has not really had the same impact at MI. There was that one 71* from just 31 deliveries against RCB, but that didn't actually win the game. At GT last year, Rutherford closed out chases with precision, but that precision is now missing. The arrival of Will Jacks in the MI squad has also made the management decide to bench him.
Rutherford's last three scores in this tournament have been 0, 1*, and 1. In 6 innings this year, he has made just 103 runs at an average of 25.75 and a strike rate of 190.74. This means that outside the 71*, Rutherford has managed just 32 runs in 5 innings.
With both Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch providing the team with better all-round balance, the MI management may part ways with Rutherford. Technically, Rutherford can bowl, but no IPL team has trusted him with the ball since 2019.
3. Danish Malewar
Vidarbha batter Danish Malewar was signed by the Mumbai Indians at the auction after a strong domestic season. When Rohit Sharma got injured, MI turned to him.
Unfortunately for him, he was not able to put in a performance that would get people talking. The IPL was his first taste of senior official T20 cricket. In two matches, he made 2 & 0. With MI having other young batters like Naman Dhir and Tilka Varma at their disposal, Malewar is likely to be released.
4. Deepak Chahar
Chahar has had a long history of injuries that have prevented him from reaching his full potential in recent years. Chahar's new ball skills were always among the best as far as Indian players were concerned.
Knowing this, the Mumbai Indians signed him for Rs. 9.25 crores at the 2025 mega auction. Deepak Chahar's road to full fitness has been tough since his injury in 2022, and that has reflected in his bowling.
In IPL 2026, he has just 3 wickets in 5 matches, with MI preferring the likes of Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, and Krish Bhagat to him. He has taken the wickets at an average of 54.33 and an economy rate of 11.24.
Similarly, in 2025, he had taken 11 wickets in 14 matches, but at an average of 34 and an economy of 9. With faith as strong as ever in Jasprit Bumrah, MI might just let go of Chahar and keep preferring younger options.
5. Mayank Markande
Markande's third stint at the Mumbai Indians did not go to plan at all. The leg-spinner was traded in from the Kolkata Knight Riders to provide cover for their slightly weaker spin bowling from last year.
This year, Markande played 3 matches, took 0 wickets, and conceded at an economy of 15.2 runs per over. For instance, against KKR, he bowled just one over that went for 16 runs. The worst of it, though, came in his third match. Against RCB, Markande conceded 40 runs in two overs.
In his first over, Phil Salt hit him for three fours and a six. In his second, Rajat Patidar hit him for three sixes in a row. Now, the Mumbai Indians will once again look to turn to the auction for their spin options.
6. Shardul Thakur
All-rounder Shardul was traded in from the Lucknow Super Giants before this season started. He has done decently this year, but the Mumbai Indians might just look to move on from him. In the first match of the season, Thakur's 3/34 earned him the Player of the Match award even though MI had chased down 221 against KKR.
At the time, MI skipper Hardik Pandya had said that he wanted Shardul at MI for the "rest of his career". But, just like Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur has made way for certain younger options. In 7 matches, he has taken 6 wickets at an average of 31.67, but with an economy rate of more than 13 runs per over.
Against CSK, he was a concussion sub brought in for the injured Mitchell Santner, and hence did not bowl. Against SRH, MI failed to defend 243. Shardul Thakur was brought in as the Impact Player for that match while bowling, but did not bowl at all.
7. Keshav Maharaj
The Mumbai Indians signed the South African left-arm spinner as a replacement after they lost Mitchell Santner to injury. But, Mumbai have preferred Will Jacks and Raghu Sharma as spin bowling options over him and not given Maharaj any matches.
Mumbai Indians signing him means that they technically have an extra overseas player in their squad and must release someone before next year's retentions. When faced with the choice, MI are likely to retain New Zealand's captain, Mitchell Santner, over Maharaj, who has never played in the IPL before.
Also Read: 5 reasons why Mumbai Indians must part ways with Hardik Pandya before IPL 2027
