Mumbai Indians heads into IPL 2026 with a settled core under Hardik Pandya, bolstered by improved squad depth and Rohit Sharma’s return. Here are the three things that are likely to be in focus during MI’s pursuit of a sixth title.
DEATH-OVERS FIREPOWER
179.32
Second-best batting strike rate in the death overs in IPL 2025
Mumbai Indians finished as one of the most destructive teams in the final overs last season. Naman Dhir and Hardik Pandya led the charge, striking at 195.87 and 170.73 respectively.
Suryakumar Yadav ensured the momentum carried through after building long innings, finishing with a remarkable 204.83 strike rate at the death. Tilak Varma, striking at 187.75 in this phase, also proved a valuable finisher and could see more time in that role after thriving lower down the order for India during the recent T20 World Cup.
MIDDLE-OVERS CONTROL
8.05
Best economy rate between overs 7 and 15 in IPL 2025
Mumbai’s spin combination proved a decisive factor last season. The pairing of Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks, along with a domestic leg-spinner, helped the side dictate the middle overs.
Left-arm wrist-spinner Vignesh Puthur impressed early in the campaign before Karn Sharma’s experience came into play during the Playoff push. MI’s spinners took 45 wickets, the most among all teams, while also recording the lowest boundary percentage (15.97%) in this phase.
SIX-HITTING THREAT
36
Sherfane Rutherford’s sixes after the PowerPlay since 2026
West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford has been one of the most explosive hitters in the middle and death overs of T20 cricket recently.
Since the start of 2026, he has hit the second-most sixes after the PowerPlay (minimum 10 innings).The left-hander strikes at 176.24 beyond the first six overs, thriving particularly against pace bowling, which accounts for 51 of his 72 boundary hits. Mumbai Indians’ challenge may lie in fitting him into the playing XI given the wealth of overseas options in the squad, despite trading him in from Gujarat Titans ahead of the auction.
Squad
Head Coach: Mahela Jayawardene
Full squad: Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Naman Dhir, Corbin Bosch, Mitchell Santner, Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar
Published on Mar 25, 2026
