3 budget-friendly picks MI can consider as Trent Boult's backup in IPL 2026 Auction ft. Fazalhaq Farooqi

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will enter the IPL 2026 auction with the lowest purse on Tuesday, December 16. With ₹2.75 crore in their kitty, the franchise will look to make the most of their limited chances to buy players for the five available spots, including one overseas spot. The Hardik Pandya-led side might look to buy Trent Boult’s backup since the pacer has been out of form over the last few months. A strong backup could also cover up any unwanted injury.

Boult picked up 22 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of 8.37 for the Mumbai-based franchise in IPL 2025. The 36-year-old, however, has managed just five wickets in his last 10 games, including The Hundred and Abu Dhabi T10. Having said that, Boult has 329 scalps in 282 T20s at an economy rate of 8.08, including five 4-fers.

Here are the three possible backup options for Trent Boult that MI can buy at the IPL 2026 auction:

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Fazalhaq Farooqi (right). Source: Getty

Available for a base price of ₹1 crore, Fazalhaq Farooqi could be MI's first choice on their wish list at the IPL 2026 auction. The left-arm seamer has picked up 180 wickets in 144 T20s at an economy rate of 7.45, including four five-wicket hauls and five 4-fers. The 25-year-old has also represented Afghanistan in 42 ODIs and 51 T20Is, bagging 52 and 63 wickets, respectively.

The speedster brings a wealth of experience after playing in numerous overseas T20 leagues, including ILT20, CPL, The Hundred, BPL, BBL, PSL, and Vitality Blast. In IPL, he has played 12 games, bagging six wickets at an economy rate of 10.32. He played seven games with the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2022 and 2023 seasons before representing the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in five matches in IPL 2025.

Ben Dwarshuis

Ben Dwarshuis (on the left side). Source: Getty

Like Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ben Dwarshuis also has a base price of ₹1 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. The left-arm pacer has scalped 220 wickets in 175 T20s at an economy rate of 8.36, including two fifers and five 4-fers. The 31-year-old has a massive experience in the Big Bash League, bagging 150 wickets in 118 games. He has also played in Vitality Blast, The Hundred, and PSL.

Dwarshuis has also played six ODIs and 13 T20Is for Australia, bagging 31 wickets across formats. In addition, the lower-order batter can also be handy with the bat, averaging 20.44 with a best score of 66.

Jason Behrendorff

Jason Behrendorff. Source: Getty

Another Aussie speedster, Jason Behrendorff, has registered himself for a base price of ₹1.5 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. The left-arm pacer has picked up 140 wickets in the BBL at an economy rate of 7.02, including two 4-fers. The 35-year-old previously represented MI in the 2019 and 2023 editions of the T20 leagues, picking up 19 wickets at an economy rate of 9.04.

Like Farooqi and Dwarshuis, Behrendorff has played in several T20 leagues like The Hundred, SA20, LPL, CLT20, and Vitality Blast. Overall, he has scalped 213 wickets in 177 matches at an economy rate of 7.59, comprising three 4-fers.