It is no real secret that Mumbai Indians (MI) are struggling in IPL 2026. With just three wins from 11 matches, MI are ninth on the points table and are already out of the playoff race.
Last year, MI made a spectacular comeback by winning just one of their first five matches and actually qualified for the playoffs by winning seven of their last nine matches. This year he has not been able to return.
This year, a lot of problems have arisen for Mumbai Indians. The biggest thing in all this has been the lack of form of their biggest players.
Former captain Rohit Sharma got a few things going in his limited appearances this year, but current captain Hardik Pandya and Pandya’s deputy Suryakumar Yadav have not been able to bring their talent into form. Young stalwart Tilak Verma has also done quite well, while fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has failed to deliver at a level never seen before from a bowler.
Teams that struggle in a particular year actually make massive changes before the next year. This will be true for Mumbai Indians as well. The five-time champions are now a mere shadow of the franchise that won the title five times in eight seasons in the 2010s.
And that problem does not seem to be recent. Since winning the title in 2020, Mumbai Indians have failed to make the final in any of the following seasons.
In this article, we will learn about the players who are most likely to be released by MI after IPL 2026.
7 players most likely to be released by Mumbai Indians after IPL 2026
1. Robin Minz
Minz is a left-handed wicketkeeper from Jharkhand who has performed only in the blink of an eye for the franchise. In both 2025 and 2026, he has played only two matches each. It can be considered a strange coincidence that Minz scored 6 runs in 2 matches in both 2025 and 2026.
However their average and strike rate are different from each other. 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 given him the gloves in all their matches so far, but the presence of both Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton means MI will surely give Minje a go.
2. Sherfane Rutherford
Rutherford, who was traded to Gujarat Titans this year, hasn’t really had that much of an impact on MI. 71* off just 31 balls against RCB, but it didn’t really win the game. Last year in GT, Rutherford chased the target with precision, but that precision is now missing. With the arrival of Will Jacques in the MI team, the management has also decided to drop him.
Rutherford’s last three scores in this tournament have been 0, 1* and 1. This year, in 6 innings he has scored only 103 runs at an average of 25.75 and strike rate of 190.74. This means that out of 71*, Rutherford has been able to score only 32 runs in 5 innings.
With both Will Jacks and Corbyn Bosch providing better all-round balance to the team, 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 batsman Danish Malewar was signed by Mumbai Indians in the auction after a strong domestic season. When Rohit Sharma got injured, MI turned to him.
Unfortunately, he was unable to deliver a performance that got people talking. The IPL was his first taste of senior official T20 cricket. In two matches, he scored 2 and 0. With MI having other young batsmen like Naman Dheer and Tilka Verma, Malewar is likely to be released.
4. Deepak Chahar
Chahar has a long history of injuries which have prevented him from reaching his full potential in recent years. Chahar’s new ball skills were always one of the best as far as Indian players are concerned.
Knowing this, Mumbai Indians signed him for Rs 10 lakh. 9.25 crore in 2025 mega auction. Deepak Chahar’s road to full fitness has been tough since his injury in 2022 and it has affected his bowling as well.
In IPL 2026, he has just 3 wickets in 5 matches, with MI preferring players like Raj Bawa, Ashwini Kumar and Krish Bhagat. He has taken wickets at an average of 54.33 and economy rate of 11.24.
Similarly, in 2025, he took 11 wickets in 14 matches, but at an average of 34 and an economy of 9. With faith in Jasprit Bumrah as strong as ever, MI may drop Chahar and prefer younger options.
5. Mayank Markande
Markandey’s third stint at Mumbai Indians did not go according to plan at all. The leg spinner was traded to Kolkata Knight Riders to cover for his slightly weaker spin bowling compared to last year.
This year, Markande played 3 matches, took 0 wickets and gave away runs at an economy of 15.2 runs per over. For example, against KKR he bowled just one over in which 16 runs were scored. However, the worst of it came in their third match. Markandey gave 40 runs in two overs against RCB.
In his first over, Phil Salt hit him three fours and a six. In his second over, Rajat Patidar hit him for three consecutive sixes. Now, Mumbai Indians will once again look to the auction for their spin options.
6. Shardul Thakur
All-rounder Shardul was traded to Lucknow Supergiants before the start of this season. He has performed well this year, but Mumbai Indians are probably looking 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 as MI chased 221 against KKR.
At the time, MI captain Hardik Pandya had said that he wanted Shardul at MI for “the rest of his career”. But, like Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur has made way for some young options. In 7 matches, he has taken 6 wickets at an average of 31.67 but with an economy rate of over 13 runs per over.
Against CSK, he had a concussion sub brought in for the injured Mitchell Santner, and hence did not bowl. Against SRH, MI failed to defend 243 runs. Shardul Thakur was brought in as an impact player for that match while bowling, but he did not bowl at all.
7. Keshav Maharaj
Mumbai Indians signed the South African left-arm spinner as a replacement after Mitchell Santner was injured. But, Mumbai has preferred Will Jacques and Raghu Sharma over him as spin bowling options and have not given any match to Maharaj.
Mumbai Indians signing him means that they technically have an extra foreign player in their squad and they will have to release someone before next year’s retention period. Faced with a choice, MI is likely to retain New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner in place of Maharaj, who has never played in the IPL before.
Also read: 5 reasons why Mumbai Indians should part ways with Hardik Pandya before IPL 2027
