Mumbai Indians (MI) approached the IPL 2026 mini auction with the smallest available purse, just Rs 2.75 crore, after retaining most of their core squad. Despite the limited funds, they secured South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock for only Rs 1 crore, a move praised by former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin as a smart and opportunistic acquisition. De Kock, who had previously played for MI between 2019 and 2021, makes a return to the franchise and emerged as their standout buy of the auction. His signing adds firepower to MI’s top order while giving the team flexibility in their batting lineup.
The five-time champions had already bolstered their squad during the trade window, bringing in players such as Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur, and Mayank Markande. Ashwin highlighted that the franchise’s ability to secure De Kock while other teams hesitated shows strategic planning. “I think the Quinton de Kock buy was a good move. I think the other franchises were sleeping on their haunches, and MI snooped it up. I think MI are not sure about the Rickelton opening combination. I think MI are trying to replicate their IPL 2020 championship squad, only Ishan Kishan is not there,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Despite their limited budget, Ashwin noted that MI’s auction strategy made their squad even stronger. “MI had 2.75 crore, but it was as if they had 27 crore, because they bought so many players. MI already had a winning squad before they went into the IPL auction, and now, after the auction, they look even stronger,” he added. In addition to De Kock, MI also added Danish Malewar, Mohammad Izhar, Atharva Ankolekar, and Mayank Rawat to their lineup, rounding out their squad ahead of the 2026 season.
