MI Have Proved Nothing Is Impossible : JioStar expert Aakash Chopra

The TATA WPL 2026 Auction reinforced defending champions Mumbai Indians’ commitment to continuity, as they retained almost their entire core while making targeted additions rather than sweeping changes. Speaking on JioHotstar, JioStar experts Mithali Raj, Aakash Chopra, and Saba Karim highlighted MI’s near-unchanged squad, their focus on stars like Amelia Kerr and Shabnim Ismail, and the depth and balance that position them strongly for another title challenge.

Speaking on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Mithali Raj assessed the Mumbai Indians' bowling strength and squad availability: "The Mumbai Indians have done well in their bowling department. They have brought in top-quality seamers like Nikola Carey and Milly Illingworth. Their other main players may not have a direct replacement. But as we witnessed in the last three seasons, their main players have not missed any matches. Maybe they were rested when the team was in a good position, but they have not missed games due to injury. Hopefully, the next seasons will be the same for MI."

Speaking on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Aakash Chopra discussed the Mumbai Indians' unchanged squad strategy: "The Mumbai Indians have kept almost everything the same. Only one keeper has changed. They played with Yastika Bhatia for three years. Now Gunalan Kamalini or someone else will come in her place. That is the only thing to look at. The rest is pretty much the same. They are still following their philosophy, even after the big auction. Why fix what is not broken? And if something is broken, then we will fix it again. They follow that philosophy and ideology, and it is right in front of us."

On Mumbai Indians' retention strategy Aakash Chopra says,"It is very difficult to keep the same squad after a mega auction. After a big auction, you cannot always keep your main players. Winning makes the next auction the most difficult, because you do not want to change anything, but change is almost mandatory. Despite that, if you can keep your eleven players from last year, or your core, and no main player is missing, that is a huge achievement. It is almost impossible. But the Mumbai Indians have proved nothing is impossible. Their squad is exactly like last year, with only small changes. MI are certainly moving in the right direction to win their third WPL title."

Speaking on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Saba Karim outlined the priorities that guided Mumbai Indians’ strategy at the auction: "The focus of Mumbai Indians was to get Amelia Kerr and Shabnim Ismail. Both are proven match-winners. Once they got those two, they could buy some uncapped talent and players who were already part of MI. That is what MI is all about. They create an environment that gives assurance to the players, and in the end, those players perform to the best of their abilities."