Things are only getting worse for the Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL 2026, and now the spotlight is strongly on their bowling attack. After a series of poor performances, MI is struggling badly near the bottom of the points table, and their bowlers are facing heavy criticism for their poor performances.
Their inability to control the runs is hurting Mumbai the most this season. The Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack has been leaking big totals, and even when the batters put up a good score, the bowlers are failing to defend it, and the story is the same for the last five matches.
Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, and Mayank Markande likely to be released by the Mumbai Indians after IPL 2026
Among the bowlers, Shardul Thakur has managed to take wickets at crucial moments, but his high economy rate has become a major concern. Similarly, Deepak Chahar failed to live up to the expectations. Another name under the scanner is Mayank Markande.
There have been notions that the five-time champions could release these bowlers—Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Mayank Markande—after the conclusion of the ongoing season to bolster their attack in the later IPL 2027 mega auction this year.
Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur joined the Mumbai Indians before IPL 2026 through a cash deal from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). MI picked him for ₹2 crore to strengthen their fast-bowling attack, and he even made a strong start by taking 3/39 on debut against KKR and winning Player of the Match.
But after that, his nightmare began as Shardul had been giving away too many runs. His economy rate is very high at 13.45 this season, and he has already conceded around 148 runs in just 11 overs. He has taken 6 wickets in the ongoing IPL 2026 so far.
The pacer is struggling with consistency, and the story was the same in the last season, where his economy rate was above 11. Because of his age, as he will be 35+ in the next season, and his expensive bowling, MI might think about releasing him before the IPL 2027 mega auction.
The five-time IPL champions are likely to focus on younger, more consistent, and long-term options for the future.
Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar was retained by Mumbai Indians for a whopping ₹9.25 crore for IPL 2026, mainly for his swing bowling in the powerplay. They expected him to give early breakthroughs, but this season has turned out to be very disappointing for both him and the franchise.
Chahar has failed to take early wickets and has been leaking heavy runs. His economy rate in the power play is the big concern for the MI. He has given more than 20 runs in his opening over, including 21 against Punjab Kings and 22 against the Rajasthan Royals.
The biggest problem is that Chahar is not getting wickets despite being a powerplay specialist, but his failure has put extra pressure on the rest of the bowling attack, especially on Jasprit Bumrah.
Mumbai Indians might release Chahar ahead of the 2027 mega auction because of his high price, injury history, and limited role as a powerplay bowler to target more reliable bowlers for long-term plans.
Mayank Markande
Mayank Markande returned to Mumbai Indians from Kolkata Knight Riders via a ₹30 lakh trade deal to strengthen their spin attack. MI trusted Markande because he knows the Wankhede pitch well and was expected to control runs in the middle overs.
But the young spinner has struggled badly this season, giving away runs at an economy of over 15. In his first three matches, he failed to take even a single wicket. He has been heavily attacked by batters and could not bowl proper lengths.
With other spinners like Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar in the squad, MI may look for better spin options going forward because of his poor performance in the ongoing IPL 2026.
