"Almost secured their entire team" - CSK legend’s huge statement on MI’s IPL 2026 auction strategy

Former Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made a huge statement on the Mumbai Indians' strategy for IPL 2026 auction, held on Tuesday, December 16, in Abu Dhabi. Ashwin observed how Mumbai secured the entire team, given the uncertainties that might occur during the auction.

The five-time champions had the smallest purse (₹2.75 crore) available ahead of IPL 2026 auction. They purchased only four players in the auction - Atharva Ankolekar, Mohammad Izhar, Mayank Rawat, and Danish Malewar.

Speaking in a video uploaded by the Mumbai Indians on X, Ashwin said teams might not enjoy coming into the auction moving forward. The retired off-spinner said:

“I was watching the mini auction today. One thing is clear. A lot of teams eventually might not really enjoy getting into the auction, given what Mumbai Indians have done. They almost secured their entire team before getting into the auction. I think it’s a really smart move because going into the auction, you don’t know who you can secure or what sort of a talent you can secure at what price. I feel what Mumbai have done by securing Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, and Sherfane Rutherford is create options."

During the trading window, the trio of Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, and Sherfane Rutherford were traded to the five-time champions.

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"They have given themselves heaps of options" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Mumbai Indians' squad for IPL 2026

Ravichandran Ashwin. (Image Credits: Getty)

In the same video, Ashwin claimed that the Mumbai Indians can play different combinations based on the conditions. He believes other teams must be wary of the Hardik Pandya-led side, considering the arsenal of options they have.

"If they want, they can go the Indian spinner route, stack their batting up with Rutherford. If they choose to go with an Indian seamer which is Shardul Thakur, they can probably sacrifice another foreign bowler and eventually also play an extra batter. Or maybe play Allah Ghazanfar and Mitchell Santner if Shardul also comes into the setup. They have given themselves heaps of options and added strength from what they had last year. If I was another team, going into this particular IPL, like every other year, I would be wary of what Mumbai has put together," he said.

IPL 2026 is likely to commence on March 26.

Edited by Parag Jain