Former Indian batter and Ranji Trophy legend Wasim Jaffer picked his probable playing XII for the Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2026. 

The five-time champions go into IPL 2026 after a run to the playoffs in 2025. They have retained most of their core from that season, filling in holes with trade deals like Shardul Thakur and Mayank Markande and the much-anticipated return of South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, who starred for them in the title-winning 2019 and 2020 seasons. 

Jaffer mentioned that both de Kock and compatriot Ryan Rickelton are capable of playing alongside Rohit Sharma at the top.

With 388 runs in 14 games at strike rate of 150.97, Rickelton was a reliable presence at the top of the order for the Mumbai Indians in his debut season.

Jaffer put star all-rounder and Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya at number 4. Playing for the Gujarat Titans, Hardik had often batted at that spot for the Titans but has played there only three times there since his return to the Mumbai Indians in 2024. 

Mitchell Santner, Sherfane Rutherford and Trent Boult cap off the overseas spots, leaving no place for Will Jacks.

The England all-rounder has grown in stature since the 2025 IPL, becoming a regular in the white-ball teams for the Three Lions, and was arguably their best player in the 2026 T20 World Cup, contributing with both bat and ball, with 226 runs at a strike rate over 175, and also picking nine wickets with his off spin. 

Naman Dhir, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mayank Markande complete Jaffer’s probable team.

"Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton/Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult," Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.

The Mumbai Indians begin their 2026 IPL campaign against the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29, at the Wankhede Stadium. MI are in the hunt for their sixth title, with their last title triumph coming under Rohit Sharma in 2020.