IPL 2025: 5 Players MI Will Retain Ahead Of Mega Auction


Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 [iplt20.com]Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 [iplt20.com]

Mumbai Indians have been one of the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League's history. Like the Chennai Super Kings, MI has five titles under its belt and has dominated most of the league in the last decade. 

However, for the last two or three seasons, things have been a bit dull for them. They have strived to find a perfect balance in their team but have not had much success. Like CSK, the key to their success has been the core they have looked to maintain. With the mega auction for the next edition of the tournament coming up, reports are rife that BCCI will allow the franchises to retain five of their players from their current squad. 

Here are five players that Mumbai Indians will look to retain -

5. Tilak Varma

The young Indian middle-order batter was bought by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2022 auction for INR 1.7 Cr. Tilak Varma has since established himself as a very important part of the MI batting line-up. There may be talks about MI retaining Ishan Kishan, but the price tag of the Indian wicket-keeper batter might induce the franchise to release him. Besides, Varma's show for them has been very consistent. He has played 38 matches for them, scoring 1,156 runs at an average of 39.86 and a strike rate of 146.33. It seems like Tilak Varma will be the fifth retention of the Mumbai Indians. 

4. Suryakumar Yadav

The current Indian T20I skipper is an integral part of the MI set-up. Suryakumar Yadav has played a major role in most of their five title runs. At present, it is hard for the MI management to think of their batting composition without Surya. Therefore, he will be one of the Mumbai Indians' retentions for IPL 2025.

3. Jasprit Bumrah

The ace Indian pacer has seen his rise in the Mumbai Indians. Currently, Jasprit Bumrah is a key part of the national set-up. However, Bumrah was a more than important part of the Mumbai Indians before he displayed his brilliance in the international arena. He is the leader of the pack for MI and will be one of the first three retentions for MI ahead of IPL 2025.

2. Hardik Pandya

Ahead of IPL 2024, Rohit Sharma was removed from the captaincy role of Mumbai Indians and the responsibilities were handed over to Hardik Pandya. The Indian all-rounder did not have a great time at the helm of MI. However, in the seasons preceding that, Hardik Pandya did a great job in leading the Gujarat Titans to two consecutive IPL finals. MI management's decision to hand over the captaincy to Hardik might have come with an eye to the future, and hence, it is hard to imagine them releasing him after just one season. 

1. Rohit Sharma

The current Indian ODI and Test skipper has led the Mumbai Indians to the IPL titles. Over the years, Rohit Sharma has established himself as the most essential part of the set-up. His batting and leadership skills are priceless for the team. Even though MI have removed him from captaincy, he might still be their first retention ahead of IPL 2025. Given that they will try to form a new core, Rohit Sharma could be the ideal person to groom them.