Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has talked about the recent business deals of the franchises ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) and the logic behind landing them all. Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur and Mayank Markandey have been brought in by MI ahead of the mini auction for IPL 2026.
The former Sri Lankan batsman spoke on the 'wealth of experience' he brings as a Caribbean southpaw. After this he talked about the local experience of all-rounder Shardul. Lastly, the veteran batsman pointed to the 'warrior' presence of leg-spinning Markande.
“They bring a wealth of experience; you need a group of guys who can handle that pressure. Sherfane has a lot of experience, he has been with us for a while and was with us many years ago. Shardul is another player like him, has a lot of experience. He brings the experience factor and being a local boy from Mumbai as well as his experience of playing at the Wankhede will matter. Mayank has been a warrior. When he was with us, he was part of a championship-winning team. Was in excellent form. We have been watching him for some time. “We will know exactly which players we want to buy once we enter the auction,” Jayawardene said in an official statement from MI.
Jayawardene, who played six seasons of the IPL representing three teams, then highlighted the core of MI and how the management has tried its best to maintain consistency in the way it builds its team. He concluded by mentioning the priorities of the think tank.
“Continuity is important and we have built our team around a core group of players and they still remain the same. They are very hungry for success. Rohit, Surya, Jasprit, Hardik, Tilak, if we keep it in that pool. Obviously, bringing back Trent in last season's auction. We have players with good international experience and also international captains like Mitch Santner. jackie (Will Jacques. I've always said I take one game at a time and just focus on the present. Our focus has always been on staying in the present and building that value chain,” he said.
MI Nine players have been released, including Arjun Tendulkar. The fast bowling all-rounder was traded to Lucknow Supergiants for his 2025 signing price of Rs 30 lakh. The five-time champions have five available slots which they can take advantage of with the remaining purse of Rs 2.75 crore. The mini auction is likely to take place next month around December 16.
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