Quinton de Kock (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Mumbai Indians (MI) have approached the IPL 2026 mini auction with the smallest purse available at just Rs 2.75 crore after retaining most of their core squad. Despite limited funds, they have secured South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock for just Rs 1 crore, a move that former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin is hailing as a smart and chance acquisition. De Kock, who previously played for MI from 2019 to 2021, returns to the franchise and became their standout buy in the auction. His signing adds firepower to MI’s top order while also giving the team flexibility in the batting line-up.
Speak Manoj Babat.
The five-time champions have already strengthened their squad during the transfer window, bringing in the likes of Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur and Mayank Markande. Ashwin pointed out that the franchise’s ability to secure De Kock while other teams hesitated shows strategic planning. “I think buying Quinton de Kock was a good move. I think other franchises were sleeping on their backs and MI snooped. I think MI are not confident about the opening combination of Rickelton. I think MI are trying to replicate their IPL 2020 championship team, only Ishan Kishan is not there,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Despite their limited budget, Ashwin noted that MI’s auction strategy has made their team even stronger. “MI had 2.75 million but it was like they had 27 million because they bought so many players. MI already had a winning team before going to the IPL auction and now, after the auction, it looks even stronger,” he added. Apart from De Kock, MI also added Denmark’s Malewar, Mohammad Izhar, Atharva Ankolekar and Mayank Rawat to their squad to complete their squad ahead of the 2026 season.
