MI owner Akash Ambani highlights long-term vision behind team's IPL 2026 auction picks

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 18 (ANI): Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise owner Akash Ambani commented on the team's approach in the mini-auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
At the IPL 2026 auction, MI strengthened their squad with a mix of experience and young talent. The franchise secured seasoned wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock for Rs 1 crore, adding firepower and reliability at the top of the order. They also invested in promising domestic players, picking up Mohammad Izhar, Danish Malewar, and Atharva Ankolekar for Rs 30 lakhs each, along with Mayank Rawat for Rs 30 lakh, reflecting the Mumbai Indians' continued focus on nurturing emerging Indian talent while maintaining a balanced squad.
Speaking on JioStar, Akash Ambani explained that MI's auction strategy was firmly rooted in a long-term vision, with a strong emphasis on identifying and backing young talent.
He highlighted Danish Malewar and Mohammad Izhar as players the franchise has closely tracked, noting Izhar's promise as a left-arm pacer and MI's preference for such bowlers.
"Danish Malewar is someone we've closely followed. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury this season and didn't feature in the white-ball tournaments, but we rate him very highly and are delighted to have him. Mohammad Izhar is similar -- a fast bowler from Bihar. At Mumbai, we like our left-armers. Previously, we had Trent Boult, and now backing that up we have Ashwani Kumar and Izhar," Ambani said on JioStar.
Ambani also spoke about rewarding continuity by giving Ashwani Kumar an extended run after his strong performances, while expressing satisfaction at securing Izhar, who had impressed as a net bowler and during trials.
"We wanted to give Ashwani a longer rope because he performed really well for us last season. Izhar comes in with the same promise that Ashwani showed last year. He was a net bowler for us and attended a couple of trials, so we weren't entirely sure we'd get him, but we're very happy to secure his services. Atharva has been with us before, back in 2020 during the COVID bubble, and he's a local Mumbai boy. That local connection was part of the thinking behind Shardul Thakur's trade as well, bringing back players from Mumbai. We're very happy with this group. They have the age profile that allows them to build long, successful careers with Mumbai Indians," Ambani added further. (ANI)