Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, are set to retain four key players ahead of the upcoming ‘Big Auction’ in November, according to a report in The Indian Express. The retained players are expected to include former skipper Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, and batter Suryakumar Yadav.
The deadline for submitting the list of retained players is October 31. As per IPL regulations, a franchise can retain up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players (Indian or overseas) and two uncapped players.
The cost of retaining Rohit, Hardik, Bumrah, and Surya will significantly impact MI’s purse. The report estimates that the franchise will have to shell out Rs 61 crore from its Rs 120 crore purse to retain these four players.
Rohit Sharma, the former Indian captain, is expected to be retained as the first player at a cost of Rs 18 crore. Hardik Pandya, who took over the captaincy from Rohit before the 2024 season, is also likely to be retained for Rs 14 crore. Jasprit Bumrah, one of the world’s leading fast bowlers, is expected to be retained for Rs 11 crore, while Suryakumar Yadav, a prolific batter, is likely to be retained for Rs 18 crore.
The report also suggests that MI will target wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan at the auction and use the Right to Match (RTM) card for Australian big-hitter Tim David.
