• Home
  • Featured News
  • How Mis Ipl 2026 Squad Resembles Their 2020 Mix Making Firm Favourites To Win Title

How MI’s IPL 2026 squad resembles their 2020 mix, making firm favourites to win title

Umesh Sharma

MI with title in IPL 2020 (L) and MI Owner Akash Ambani (R) (Source: X)MI with title in IPL 2020 (L) and MI Owner Akash Ambani (R) (Source: X)

Mumbai Indians had one of their outstanding IPL squads in the tournament’s 2020 edition, in which they lifted their fifth and most recent IPL title. The IPL 2020 squad of the Mumbai Indians comprised an amazing core, including the likes of former skipper Rohit Sharma, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, flamboyant all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and former all-rounder Kieron Pollard. 

Meanwhile, MI’s auction strategy for the upcoming IPL 2026 resembled their squad approach in the 2020 edition. Except for a few retired players, most of MI’s core seems to be a reloaded and enhanced version of their 2020 squad that ended up as the champion. 

Hence, here’s a deep-dive into the question ‘why MI’s squad for IPL 2026 squad resembles their champion lineup of IPL 2020 and can win the title next year?’

The Intact core and leadership nucleus

MI’s core in the 2020 season included former skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Suryakumar Yadav, and the veteran Proteas opener Quinton de Kock, alongside NZ speedster Trent Boult. This core is going to be almost the same except for Pollard, with Rohit, SKY, Hardik, QDK, Boult and Bumrah being part of MI’s squad for the upcoming season in 2026. 

One more excellent edition in this core which could replace Pollard’s batting prowess, is Tilak Varma. This stability or ‘intent of keeping things intact’ is something that ensures the role clarity among the key performers of the squad. 

This stable core also provides the proven match-winners for the five-time champions in the experienced lads like Boult, Bumrah, Rohit, Pandya, and Quinton de Kock. 

The leadership impact

Besides the intact core, one more factor that could help MI repeat their IPL 2020 heroics in IPL 2026 is their leadership nucleus for the next edition. After initial controversies following Pandya’s appointment as captain, the group seems to be in a comfortable position, with ex-skipper Rohit being there as senior player and Hardik leading the side with next-gen mindset. 

This leadership dynamic including Hardik’s captaincy with new-generation and Rohit’s experience as five-time IPL champion skipper, is going to be a great mix of things to assist the side in coming out of the tough situations during the crucial games. 

The positive impacts of this leadership duo will also be visible in the on-field decision-making in crucial games for MI in IPL 2026. Be it operating the spell of the key bowlers or field placements in the crunch moments. 

The numbers game: batting and bowling maestros unite again

Notably, the four out of the top five leading run-scorers for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020 are set to reunite in the IPL 2026 squad. The list includes the high-profile and veteran names of Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, ex-skipper Rohit Sharma, and current skipper Hardik Pandya. 

Leading run-scorers for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020

Batters
Innings/Runs
Average/SR
50/100
I Kishan13/51657.33/145.764/0
Q de Kock
16/50335.92/140.504/0
SA Yadav 15/48040.00/145.014/0
R Sharma12/33227.66/127.693/0
H Pandya 13/28135.12/178.981/0

De Kock finished as the second leading run-scorer for MI in IPL 2020, with 503 runs in 16 innings, with four half-centuries and an average of 35.92, followed by SKY’s 480 runs in 15 innings, with four centuries, averaging 40.00. 

Following these two were the then-skipper Rohit with 332 runs in 12 innings, hitting three half-centuries. Hardik Pandya also scored 281 runs in 13 innings, with five unbeaten appearances and a half-century. Pandya registered a brilliant batting average of 35.12. 

Apart from these four experienced stars in the batting lineup, Tilak Varma will also be an Indian addition to add value to the middle-order. 

Leading wicket-takers for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020

Bowlers
Innings/Wickets
Economy/SR
BBI
J Bumrah15//27
6.73/13.334/14
T Boult15/257.97/13.764/18
R Chahar15/158.17/21.202/18

Speaking of the bowling core, the lethal duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult will team up again in IPL 2026 to strengthen MI’s pace attack and dominance in the powerplay overs. Besides that, the Boult-Bumrah duo can also achieve some amazing results in the death overs.

Interestingly, Bumrah and Boult finished as the first and second leading wicket-takers, respectively for MI in IPL 2020. Besides that, they also finished as the second and third leading wicket-takers among the overall leading wicket-takers, following Kagiso Rabada throughout the entire IPL 2020 season. 

In IPL 2020, Bumrah picked 27 wickets in 15 innings, with two four-wicket hauls and registering the best bowling figures of 4/14 in a game. Following him, Boult bagged 25 wickets in 15 innings, with a four-wicket haul, registering the best performance of 4/18 in a game. 

So, this lethal duo being in action again in IPL 2026 will also be a vital cog in the wheel for MI to repeat their ‘champion’ run of IPL 2020. 

Conclusion: MI on the verge of lifting sixth IPL title 

So, the above-mentioned analysis of different factors of MI’s squad in IPL 2020 and IPL 2026 reflects the management’s positive approach towards reloading the side instead of rebuilding it every year. 

Analyzing the experience of the players in the squad's core and their performances in IPL 2020 also gives a hint of lifting the title for the Mumbai Indians. So, the IPL 2026 could be an edition for MI when they lift the title and end their IPL title drought for last five seasons across six years.