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Ahead of the announcement of retentions by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, JioStar expert and former Australian opener Matthew Hayden noted that releasing and potentially buying Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar back could free up funds to strengthen their bench strength with quality backups.
The retentions by all the IPL teams will be announced on November 15. The team boasts of a quality pace attack consisting of Jasprit Bumrah, Boult, Chahar, skipper Hardik Pandya, Reece Topley, and a young left-armer Ashwani Kumar, among others. Speaking on JioStar's IPL 2026 'Retention Preview', Hayden spoke on MI's retention dilemma on Boult, "Mumbai Indians have a very balanced playing eleven, but they face some tough decisions. Trent Boult has been exceptional, taking 22 wickets last season and making a strong impact in the powerplay. However, with a 12.5 crore price tag, the management might consider releasing him, potentially allowing them to buy him back at a lower price. This move could free up funds to strengthen other areas of their squad while maintaining their core balance." "Mumbai Indians are five-time champions for a reason; they have a great mix of young talent. However, they need to address their backup players. If I were in their camp, I would consider releasing two bowlers: Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar. Releasing and potentially buying them back could free up funds to strengthen their bench strength with quality backups," he concluded. Boult (4th-highest wicket-taker with 22 in 16 matches at an average of 23.50), Chahar (11 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 34.18) were solid for the five-time champions. While Boult was returning to the franchise to boost their pace attack after a stint with Rajasthan Royals (RR), Chahar had served MI's arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for 2018-2024 prior to his move to Blue colours. However, in recent years, Chahar and Topley have faced numerous injuries, both while playing franchise and international cricket. This makes it even more important that the five-time champions get some quality back ups in case either of them gets injured. In the last season, fine performances from MI's pace unit led them to the playoffs, losing to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2. They will be hoping to end their five-year trophy drought next year. (ANI)
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