Irfan Pathan picks MI playing XII after IPL 2026 auction; drops ₹9.25 crore Indian bowler 

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan left out pacer Deepak Chahar while naming his Mumbai Indians (MI) playing XII following the IPL 2026 auction, which took place on Tuesday, December 16, in Abu Dhabi. The five-time IPL champions had a limited outing at the auction, securing only five players, including one overseas signing, Quinton de Kock, who was acquired at his base price of ₹1 crore.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel on December 17, the 41-year-old backed veteran Rohit Sharma and de Kock as his preferred openers, choosing to overlook Ryan Rickelton, who had opened for MI in the 2025 season. He shared:

“When you go into an auction and, like a cool cat, still manage to buy Quinton de Kock at base price, it means you are Mumbai. They do wonders at auctions, and once again we saw that kind of brilliance this time. I feel there was also a bit of a luck factor behind the Quinton de Kock buy, because they haven’t lifted the trophy in some time. They want to win the trophy with such a strong team and also bring in a bit of luck along with it.”

For the middle order, he entrusted No. 3 to Tilak Varma, followed by India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4. Mumbai’s captain Hardik Pandya and uncapped all-rounder Naman Dhir were slotted in at the next two positions.

At No. 7, he chose West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford, who was acquired by the franchise from Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction for ₹2.6 crore.

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Veteran India all-rounder features ahead of Deepak Chahar in Irfan Pathan’s MI playing XII for IPL 2026

In the bowling department, Irfan Pathan slotted all-rounder Shardul Thakur at No. 8. Thakur was traded in by the team from Rishabh Pant's Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the 2026 auction for ₹2 crore. He then picked leg-spinner Mayank Markande, who was also acquired via a trade from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹30 lakh.

Pathan completed his XI by selecting the pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, leaving no place for Deepak Chahar, who had been bought for ₹9.25 crore during the 2025 mega auction. For the Impact Player slot, Pathan suggested options such as Corbin Bosch, Mitchell Santner, or Allah Ghazanfar, depending on pitch conditions.

Irfan Pathan’s MI playing XII for IPL 2026: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult. Impact Player options: Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Allah Ghazanfar.