Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan revealed his twelfth squad for Mumbai Indians for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Notably, the cricket expert ruled out Indian fast bowler Shardul Thakur, South African opening batsman Ryan Rickelton and England all-rounder Will Jacks from the Mumbai Indians lineup.
IPL 2026 will start on Saturday, March 28 in Bengaluru. Mumbai Indians will start their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium next day. Hardik Pandya led the five-time champions to the playoffs in 2025 before losing to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2.
Irfan Pathan picks Mumbai Indians’ playing XI for IPL 2026
In a video shared on his YouTube channel on Thursday, March 19, Irfan Pathan picked Mumbai Indians to play twelfth. He backed veteran Rohit Sharma and South African star Quinton de Kock to open the innings for Mumbai Indians in the upcoming tournament.
After the opening pair, the former all-rounder selected a middle-order comprising of recent T20 World Cup 2026 stars. He named Tilak Verma at number three, followed by T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav and captain Hardik Pandya at number five.
Pathan said that the Mumbai Indians management may face a tough choice between Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks. He favored the explosive English all-rounder for the number six role, while keeping Naman Dheer as the finisher at number seven.
Pathan chose a bowling attack with three frontline pacers including Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. He selected Afghanistan’s Allah Ghazanfar as the only specialist spinner.
As for the impact player rule, Baroda Cricketer chose leg spinner Mayank Markandey in place of experienced Shardul Thakur to complete his 12-man squad.
Irfan Pathan’s MI playing 12 for IPL 2026:
Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Will Jacques, Naman Dheer, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah. Influential players: Mayank Markande.
Indian core will be extremely impressive – Irfan Pathan endorses Mumbai Indians’ strength
During the same video, Irfan Pathan said that the Indian core remains the biggest strength of Mumbai Indians. He stressed that he will go into the tournament with confidence after delivering match-winning performances for India during the T20 World Cup 2026.
Pathan said, “World Cup winning captain Suryakumar Yadav is in this team. Jasprit Bumrah, who was close to the Man of the Tournament title and won the Man of the Match in the final, is in solid form in your team.”
“All-rounder Hardik Pandya is also in your team as captain, along with Tilak Verma, who has played multiple roles and is also a part of your team. The Indian core, which is their strength, will be extremely impressive. The confidence after winning the World Cup will be visible in them as soon as they step on the field.”
After their opener, Mumbai Indians will take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in Delhi on April 4. They will then travel to Guwahati to play against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 7, and return home to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 12.
Also read: “Liam Livingstone must have been surprised” – Former Indian opener questions England star’s ₹13 crore price tag
