Mumbai Indians face retention decisions ahead of IPL 2027 after ninth-place finish in IPL 2026

Mumbai Indians finished ninth in the Indian Premier League 2026, winning four and losing ten of their 14 matches, and are preparing retention and release decisions ahead of IPL 2027 that include captain Hardik Pandya.

Mumbai began the season with a victory against Kolkata Knight Riders but failed to build on that start and were the second team after LSG to be eliminated from the tournament. The side lost both fixtures against Chennai Super Kings and showed vulnerabilities at their home venue, ending the campaign with eight points. The five-time champions had reached the playoffs in 2025 but “completely flopped this year,” and have not won the title or reached a final for six seasons in a row.

Hardik Pandya’s individual returns were modest over the 2026 campaign: in ten games he scored 206 runs at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138, failing to register a fifty. With the ball, he took four wickets at an economy of 11.43. The report also states that Pandya has struggled with his captaincy over the last three years.

Several other senior members of the squad struggled for form during the season, with Suryakumar Yadav, Sherfane Rutherford, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur all cited as underperforming. Despite the presence of high-profile international names, the team could not sustain consistent performances across the campaign.

As a consequence of the 2026 results, Mumbai Indians could make significant roster changes ahead of IPL 2027 and may part ways with some prominent players. The original report presents a list of players MI could release and retain ahead of the next season.

The retention and release process will be completed ahead of IPL 2027 as the franchise finalises its squad decisions for the upcoming edition.