Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has made bold recommendations to Mumbai Indians (MI) on their strategy ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction in December. Raina said that the franchise should release all-rounder Will Jacques and spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
All IPL franchises are set to submit their list of retained players by the November 15 deadline, ahead of the mini-auction next month. As teams prepare to reshape their squads for the new season, Mumbai Indians may face some tough decisions on which players to retain and who to release.
Rohit Sharma has won a lot of trophies for him – Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina said Mumbai Indians could release Will Jacques and Mujeeb Ur Rahman ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction while retaining key senior players. Raina said that the franchise should retain Rohit Sharma in the team citing his leadership and success.
“They should retain him (Rohit Sharma), they have won so many trophies for them. Deepak Chahar is there right now, it depends on what options they have, so they can either release him or retain him, but they may not get players in the auction, so I think they should retain him. They should retain him (Trent Boult), he is a gun player, a left-arm bowler,” Raina said on Star Sports. Whatever advantage they have in form, they should maintain it.”
do you agree with @imraina,
What are your thoughts? #MumbaiIndians‘ Retention plans – will you hold on to or fold these players?
Watch Tata IPL 2026 Retention Special Saturday, November 15, 5 PM on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/43OvHvBIRZ
– Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) 10 November 2025
Will Jacques signed by Mumbai Indians for ₹5.25 crore in mega auction
Mumbai Indians signed Will Jacques for ₹5.25 crore in last year’s mega auction after an intense bidding war with Punjab Kings. However, the English all-rounder faced a mixed debut season with the five-time champions.
Jacques scored 233 runs in 13 matches at an average of 23.33 and a strike rate of 135.47. The right-handed batsman was shuffled in the batting order. In some games he was asked to open and in some he was pushed down to number seven, due to which he could not hold on to one position.
Jacques made useful contributions with the ball. He was used as the team’s third spin option, especially against left-handed batsmen. The off-spinner took six wickets at an average of 20 and an economy rate of 8.57.
Mumbai Indians have not won any title yet since IPL 2020
Mumbai Indians finished fourth in the league stage of IPL 2025 with eight wins and six losses. However, their journey ended in Qualifier 2 after a defeat to Punjab Kings (PBKS), extending their title drought from 2020.
Suryakumar Yadav was the best batsman for the franchise. The right-handed batsman scored 717 runs in 17 innings at an impressive average of 65.18 and strike rate of 167.91, including five half-centuries, with his best score being 73.*
Rohit Sharma scored 418 runs in 15 matches at an average of 29.85 and strike rate of 149.28. As the team looks towards IPL 2026, Rohit, captain Hardik Pandya and spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are expected to remain key members of the Mumbai Indians core.
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