Mumbai Indians will be looking for a replacement player for IPL 2026 after Atharva Ankolekar was ruled out of the upcoming edition. The Mumbai spin all-rounder was bought by the franchise for INR 30 lakhs in the auction in December. However, his dream of playing in the IPL will have to wait due to a knee injury.
Ankolekar sustained the injury during a Ranji Trophy 2025-26 fixture against Hyderabad in January. He had to undergo a surgery and will be out of action for several months. The franchise might look for a replacement to fill his spot. Here we take a look at three players who could come into the Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 squad.
Domestic spinners has been a big area of concern for Mumbai Indians over the years. In their current squad, they have Mayank Markande but would love another quality option. Shivam Shukla could be a great option.
The mystery spinner had an excellent campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, where he took 17 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 7.26. Shukla was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders set-up previously, and has enough experience in domestic circuit. With him in the squad, MI can have more flexibility regarding the playing combination.
R Sonu Yadav was unfortunate to go unsold in the IPL 2026 auction despite the form he was in. He could be a good fit in the Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 squad as someone who can bowl and provide batting cushion down the order.
Sonu Yadav had a terrific TNPL 2025, where he took 16 wickets from seven games at an economy of 7.99. He also scored 133 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 133. In the SMAT 2025, he took seven wickets at 8.52 economy and struck 69 runs at a strike rate of 140.
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Shams Mulani has played for the franchise in the past and could be a good replacement candidate. The left-arm spin all-rounder can fill the same player role as Atharva Ankolekar in the Mumbai Indians squad IPL 2026.
Mulani’s bowling form has not been great but he is a quality spinner. In his overall T20 cricket, he has claimed 62 wickets while conceding runs at 6.99. Given the lack of decent left-arm spin options in the pool, Mulani could be a good pick.
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