Skip to content
Tuesday, October 20, 2026

After a Poor 2026 Campaign, MI Release 6 Players and Retain Only 11 Ahead of the 2027 Auction

Mumbai Indians WPL retention

Mumbai Indians Women have officially announced their squad decisions ahead of the WPL 2027 player auction. The two-time champions have retained 11 players while releasing six from their previous squad.

The Mumbai Indians WPL 2027 retained players list features almost all of their established stars, including captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews and Shabnim Ismail.

However, MI have also made some interesting calls. G Kamalini and Saika Ishaque are among the six players released ahead of the auction.

Mumbai Indians WPL 2027 Retained Players List With Salary

Mumbai Indians have kept the main core of their squad intact despite finishing fourth in WPL 2026.

PlayerRoleOverseas PlayerSalary
Nat Sciver-BruntAll-rounderYes – England₹3.50 crore
Amelia KerrAll-rounderYes – New Zealand₹3.00 crore
Harmanpreet KaurBatter/CaptainNo₹2.50 crore
Hayley MatthewsAll-rounderYes – West Indies₹1.75 crore
Amanjot KaurAll-rounderNo₹1.00 crore
Sajana SajeevanAll-rounderNo₹75 lakh
Shabnim IsmailBowlerYes – South Africa₹60 lakh
Nicola CareyAll-rounderYes – Australia₹30 lakh
Vaishnavi SharmaBowlerNo₹30 lakh
Sanskriti GuptaAll-rounderNo₹20 lakh
Rahila FirdousWicketkeeper-BatterNo₹10 lakh

The contract values are based on their WPL 2026 retention, auction or replacement-player prices. Nat Sciver-Brunt was MI’s most expensive retained player at ₹3.50 crore, while Amelia Kerr was bought back for ₹3 crore at the 2026 mega auction.

Mumbai Indians Continue To Back Their Championship-Winning Core

Mumbai Indians have decided against making major changes to the top end of their squad.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur remains at the centre of MI’s plans. Alongside her, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr give Mumbai one of the most experienced all-round groups in the competition.

Sciver-Brunt was retained for ₹3.50 crore before the WPL 2026 mega auction, making her the most expensive player in the current MI setup.

Hayley Matthews was retained for ₹1.75 crore, while MI spent ₹3 crore to bring Amelia Kerr back at the mega auction.

The presence of three quality overseas all-rounders gives MI plenty of flexibility with their playing XI.

Shabnim Ismail And Nicola Carey Retained

Mumbai Indians have also retained South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail and Australian all-rounder Nicola Carey.

Ismail was bought back for ₹60 lakh at the WPL 2026 mega auction and remains the leading specialist overseas fast-bowling option in the squad.

Carey, meanwhile, was acquired for ₹30 lakh. Her ability to contribute with both bat and ball gives MI another flexible overseas option.

Mumbai Indians Retain Five Overseas Players For WPL 2027

MI currently have five overseas players among their 11 retentions.

Overseas PlayerCountryRoleSalary
Nat Sciver-BruntEnglandAll-rounder₹3.50 crore
Amelia KerrNew ZealandAll-rounder₹3.00 crore
Hayley MatthewsWest IndiesAll-rounder₹1.75 crore
Shabnim IsmailSouth AfricaBowler₹60 lakh
Nicola CareyAustraliaAll-rounder₹30 lakh

The overseas core covers almost every department.

Sciver-Brunt, Matthews and Kerr are genuine all-round options, Ismail gives them express pace, while Carey provides additional batting and seam-bowling depth.

Amanjot Kaur And Sajana Sajeevan Remain Part Of Indian Core

MI have also continued to back Amanjot Kaur and Sajana Sajeevan.

Amanjot was one of five players retained by Mumbai before the WPL 2026 mega auction, with the franchise committing ₹1 crore to the Indian all-rounder.

Sajana was bought back at the auction for ₹75 lakh. She was also given opportunities at the top of the order during WPL 2026, showing MI’s willingness to use her attacking batting in different roles.

Sanskriti Gupta and wicketkeeper-batter Rahila Firdous have also been retained at ₹20 lakh and ₹10 lakh respectively.

Vaishnavi Sharma Retained After Joining As Kamalini’s Replacement

One of the more interesting names on the retained list is Vaishnavi Sharma.

The young left-arm spinner was not part of MI’s original WPL 2026 auction squad. She joined Mumbai midway through the season after G Kamalini was ruled out because of injury.

MI signed Vaishnavi for ₹30 lakh as Kamalini’s replacement.

The franchise has now decided to keep Vaishnavi for WPL 2027 while releasing Kamalini.

Mumbai Indians WPL 2027 Released Players List With Salary

Mumbai Indians have released six players before the auction.

PlayerRoleOverseas PlayerWPL 2026 Salary
G KamaliniWicketkeeper-BatterNo₹50 lakh
Saika IshaqueBowlerNo₹30 lakh
Triveni VasisthaAll-rounderNo₹20 lakh
Poonam KhemnarAll-rounderNo₹10 lakh
Nalla ReddyAll-rounderNo₹10 lakh
Milly IllingworthBowlerYes – Australia₹10 lakh

Mumbai Indians officially confirmed all six departures on September 28.

Five of the six released players are Indian, while Australian fast bowler Milly Illingworth is the only overseas player released by MI.

G Kamalini Released After Being Retained For ₹50 Lakh

G Kamalini’s release is probably the most interesting decision made by Mumbai Indians.

MI had retained the young wicketkeeper-batter for ₹50 lakh before the WPL 2026 mega auction, showing considerable faith in her long-term potential.

However, Kamalini’s 2026 season was cut short by injury after five matches. Mumbai then brought in Vaishnavi Sharma for ₹30 lakh as her replacement.

Ahead of WPL 2027, MI have chosen to retain Vaishnavi while releasing Kamalini back into the auction pool.

Saika Ishaque Also Released

Saika Ishaque is another notable name on the released list.

The left-arm spinner played a major role in Mumbai Indians’ inaugural WPL title campaign in 2023 and developed into an important part of their bowling attack.

MI bought her back for ₹30 lakh at the WPL 2026 mega auction, but she has now been released ahead of the next season.

With Vaishnavi Sharma and Sanskriti Gupta retained, MI appear ready to reshape their Indian spin department.

Mumbai Indians Release Milly Illingworth And Three Domestic Players

Australian pacer Milly Illingworth has also been released after being bought for ₹10 lakh.

Poonam Khemnar, Nalla Reddy and Triveni Vasistha have also been let go.

Poonam and Nalla were signed for ₹10 lakh each, while Triveni was bought for ₹20 lakh at the WPL 2026 mega auction.

Their departures create additional squad spots for Mumbai to target fresh domestic talent at the WPL 2027 auction.

Mumbai Indians Missed WPL Playoffs For First Time In 2026

The changes come after an unusual season for one of the WPL’s most successful teams.

Mumbai Indians had won the tournament in 2023 and 2025, but WPL 2026 did not go according to plan.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s team won only three matches and finished fourth, missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Despite that result, MI have avoided a complete rebuild.

Instead, they have backed the players who formed the main core of their previous title-winning sides while opening a few spots to strengthen the squad at the auction.

Mumbai Indians WPL 2027 Retained And Released Players At A Glance

Retained Players (11): Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Rahila Firdous, Sajana Sajeevan, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail and Vaishnavi Sharma.

Released Players (6): Poonam Khemnar, Saika Ishaque, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Milly Illingworth and G Kamalini.

Overseas players retained: 5

Overseas players released: 1

When Is The WPL 2027 Auction?

The WPL 2027 auction will take place on October 28, 2026, in Kochi.

The fifth edition of the Women’s Premier League will then be played from January 14 to February 7, 2027. Mumbai Indians confirmed both dates while announcing their retentions.

The Mumbai Indians WPL 2027 retained players list shows that the franchise is not looking for a complete rebuild after one disappointing season.

Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt, Matthews, Kerr and Ismail remain the experienced core. With six players released and several squad spots available, the auction will now decide how Mumbai strengthen the supporting group around their established match-winners.

Share this article

WhatsApp X

Get cricket updates. Follow CricInformer:

Download the CricInformer app

Take CricInformer with you. Get our app for cricket news and updates on your phone.