3 players MI shouldn't release ahead of IPL 2026 despite recent poor returns ft. Trent Boult

The Mumbai Indians (MI) had a decent campaign in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), where they reached Qualifier 2. A team of their pedigree would never be satisfied with that, though, and the five-time champions have already made a couple of big moves in the trade market.

Sherfane Rutherford has been acquired from the Gujarat Titans (GT) in an all-cash deal, while Shardul Thakur has been poached from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Reports indicate that Arjun Tendulkar might be headed in the opposite direction of the Thakur trade.

Following these moves, Mumbai will turn their attention to releases. Their bench strength wasn't particularly eye-catching during the previous campaign, but whether they have the freedom for a massive overhaul remains to be seen.

MI's squad for IPL 2025: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevan-John Jacobs, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Allah Ghazanfar, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Corbin Bosch (r), Jonny Bairstow (tr), Charith Asalanka (tr), Richard Gleeson (tr), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Raghu Sharma.

On that note, here are three players MI shouldn't release ahead of IPL 2026 despite their recent poor returns.

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#3 Trent Boult

2025 IPL: Eliminator - Gujarat Titans v Mumbai Indians - Source: Getty

Trent Boult picked up 22 wickets for MI in 16 matches in IPL 2025, with his economy rate reading 8.97. He featured in all of the team's encounters, but his trademark deadly new-ball bowling didn't make an appearance.

Boult often spammed yorker-heavy strategies through the middle overs and the death, with Mumbai not always bowling out his four-over quota. Signed for ₹12.5 crore, the Kiwi quick might not be adding as much value as his team would like.

Moreover, Boult endured a rough campaign in the Hundred for the Birmingham Phoenix. He picked up two wickets in only two of his eight matches in the competition.

That said, however, Boult remains one of the better options on the market. MI already have quality death bowling in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, and what they really need is someone who can wreck oppositions in the powerplay at the Wankhede Stadium. And even if the left-armer isn't at his best, he's still more reliable than most.

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#2 Deepak Chahar

Entertainment In India - Source: Getty

In 14 IPL 2025 matches, Deepak Chahar picked up just 11 wickets at an economy rate of 9.17. His familiar problems with the older ball and injuries cropped up, and MI were left disappointed with his performances after signing him for a sizeable ₹9.25 crore at the auction.

Thakur's arrival has raised questions over whether Chahar will be released. But it might be in MI's best interests to keep hold of him, given the state of their Indian pace attack at the moment. Ashwani Kumar and PV Satyanarayana Raju are clearly not world-class, and Chahar still offers a unique profile.

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#1 Ryan Rickelton

2025 IPL - Punjab Kings v Mumbai Indians - Source: Getty

Ryan Rickelton was an important player for MI in IPL 2025. He featured in 14 matches, scoring 388 runs at an average of 29.84 and a strike rate of 150.97. However, since then, the opening batter's form has been shaky.

Rickelton hasn't scored more than 35 in any of his last eight white-ball matches for South Africa, and he hasn't been able to replicate the stellar form he displayed for MI Cape Town in past editions of the SA20 league. With Mumbai signing Rutherford and having Will Jacks in their ranks, they might consider a change or two.

However, Rickelton remains one of the better overseas wicket-keeping options. MI's efforts to secure Ishan Kishan via trade from the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) don't seem to have worked, and Robin Minz and KL Shrijith are arguably not ready for the IPL level yet.

Rickelton isn't particularly expensive either, so MI should persist with him for another season.

Edited by Sai Krishna