India, Dec. 8 -- Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians walk into the 2026 mini-auction with the kind of problem that keeps the recruitment teams awake - a heavyweight core, but only INR 2.75 cr left to spend and five slots to fill, including an overseas.

They have already locked up 20 players, effectively betting on continuity around the Hardik Pandya-Jasprit Bumrah-Suryakumar Yadav-Rohit Sharma axis, with support acts like Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, and Corbin Bosch proving their worth over the last cycle. The mini-auction isn't about a splash, it's about plugging specific gaps.

MI's retained list for the 2025 mega auction already skewed heavily towards top-end talent: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Bumrah, SKY and Ti...