Former Australia batter Matthew Hayden has suggested that the Mumbai Indians get rid of Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult before the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

He noted that getting rid of the two pacers would free up funds to strengthen the squad. The retention by the 10 IPL franchises will be announced on November 15. Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Tilak Varma are some of the big names in the MI team.

“Mumbai Indians have a balanced Playing 11, but they will have to take some tough calls. Trent Boult took 22 wickets last season and was impactful in the powerplay overs. However, he has a price tag of INR 12.5 crore, and the team management might consider releasing him, allowing the team to buy him back at a lower price. This move could free up funds to add more firepower to the squad,” he said on JioStar’s IPL 2026 Retention Preview.

“Mumbai Indians are five-time champions, and they have a good mix of young players. However, they need to address their backup options. If I were part of their camp, I would release Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar. They can be bought back,” he added.

Chahar picked up 11 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 34.18. In IPL 2025, the Mumbai Indians made it to the playoffs but lost to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2.