The WPL auction 2026 is just around the corner, and the Mumbai Indians Women have a lot to do before the big day of purchase. The team owned by Indiawin currently has five players and a total of 5.75 cr remaining from the total of filling the remaining slots and forming the core of their team.
Mumbai Indians Women have decided to keep Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, and G. Kamalini before the auction.
With a total of 10 players still to be confirmed, the squad might consist of 18 players maximum, so Mumbai might have to apply ‘moneyball’ strategies to get the most valuable purchases while they have the second-lowest purse in the auction after Delhi Capitals Women.
1) The targeting of buys is the only option left with a limited purse MI-Women will be aiming at the beginning with names that are not too big. However, with a limited purse value, though MI would like to keep players like Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine, or Danni Wyatt-Hodge, it should be known that the bidding wars might take too long for these names.
Therefore, the Mumbai Indians who are the defending champions could do well to buy a role-specific player and a highly scouted uncapped foreign talent. Of course, after getting the all-rounder quota and at least three bowlers (and at least one overseas player), MI-W might move on to bid for the star players if their purse allows it.
2) A back-up keeper for Yastika Bhatia
The WPL 2026 has given the green light to G. Kamalini, and now MI only require a wicket-keeper battery as her understudy.
Yastika Bhatia was plagued with injuries in the previous edition, and thus, if MI-W doesn’t trust her abilities, then the most logical option would be to get Uma Chetry. The 22-year-old has already made it to the Women’s World Cup and can be a great contributor along with Kamalini.
Taniya Bhatia and Nandini Kashyap can be the other two pretty good options for MI-W if they prefer to stay under the radar and go for a low-budget wicketkeeping role acquisition.
3) A requirement for a overseas star
Mumbai has not yet recruited any specialist bowler and hence, this will be the area of heavy purchasing focusing on overseas talent. However, picking Shabnim Ismail would not be the best choice as she did not perform well last season and only got 9 wickets in 10 matches.
MI-W is likely to pursue Renuka Singh as a pacer but it may lead to a bidding war with RCB-W, the player’s former team.
From the overseas players’ list, MI-W may have a keen interest in Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, and Alana King as they would want to develop the ‘specialist’ bowling front unlike the previous season.
Conclusion
Furthermore, in the auction, one can expect the inclination of Mumbai Indians Women towards the acquisition of more and more all-rounders and a robust top-order batting core. But looking at their purse value, the franchise should go for a strong, India-heavy squad supported by 2 overseas all-rounders, 1 overseas top-order batter, and 1 overseas bowler.
