Mumbai Indians Gear Up for Women's Premier League 2026 with Key Retentions

As the Women's Premier League 2026 approaches, the Mumbai Indians are bolstering their squad by retaining key players from their championship-winning team. With the auction held recently, the franchise has successfully brought back notable talents like Amelia Kerr and Shabnim Ismail, while also welcoming promising newcomers. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur shares her excitement about the team's strategy and the trust placed in returning players. This season promises to be thrilling as MI aims for another title with a well-rounded and youthful squad.

By Narendra Chaudhary Nov 29, 2025, 02:23 IST

Mumbai Indians Retain Core Team Ahead of WPL 2026

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 28: The Mumbai Indians, two-time champions, are entering the 2026 season of the Women’s Premier League with renewed confidence, set to kick off on January 9. The franchise successfully retained a majority of their championship-winning squad during the mega auction held in New Delhi on Thursday.

Nita M Ambani shared insights on the auction process, stating, “Auction days are thrilling yet can be quite stressful. Our goal was to bring back as many players as we could from our victorious 2025 team. I’m particularly thrilled to have Amelia Kerr back, along with our four Ss: Shabnim, Saika, Sajana, and Sanskriti. We’re also excited to welcome three promising talents – Rahila Firdous, Nalla Kranthi Reddy, and Triveni Vashisth. Additionally, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Poonam Khemnar, Milly Illingworth, and Nicola Carey to the Mumbai Indians family.”

The retained core includes captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, and G Kamalini. MI also successfully reacquired Amelia Kerr, the standout player from the recent T20 World Cup, alongside S Sajana, Saika Ishaque, Sanskriti Gupta, and seasoned pacer Shabnim Ismail.

Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s World Cup-winning captain and MI’s leader, was actively involved in the auction discussions, contributing her expertise to the strategy.

Reflecting on her experience, Harmanpreet expressed, “At first, I felt a bit anxious, but I appreciated our planning and everyone’s participation, especially Nita Ma’am’s support. She has always been our strongest ally. Bringing back most of our former teammates demonstrates the trust and confidence we have in them.”

The five players who were brought back have been crucial to MI’s past achievements, with Saika, Sajana, and Sanskriti emerging as breakout stars after being discovered by MI and making their debuts.

In addition to these established players, MI has signed the Australian all-rounder Nicola Carey, a multiple World Cup winner, and the young pace talent Milly Illingworth.

Staying true to their commitment to nurturing young Indian talent, MI has also added Indian all-rounders Nalla Kranthi Reddy and Triveni Vashisth, who are set to make their WPL debuts. The experienced duo of Madhya Pradesh captain Rahila Firdous and Poonam Khemnar will further enhance the team’s domestic experience.