New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) Aakash Chopra shared his opinion on the Mumbai Indians’ strategy for the recent auction for the Women’s Premier League (WPL), stating that the franchise remained firm in its ideology and philosophy and tried its best to retain its core, without trying to ‘fix what is not broken.’
The WPL 2026 auction reaffirmed the Mumbai Indians’ belief in stability over sweeping overhaul, as the defending champions walked away with a squad that looks strikingly similar to last season’s title-winning unit. Rather than chasing dramatic restructuring, MI focused on retaining its trusted core and making precise, need-based additions, an approach that drew praise from JioHotstar’s panel of experts.
Former India captain Mithali Raj underlined the franchise’s clarity in bolstering its bowling unit while preserving the foundation that has served it so well.
"The Mumbai Indians have done well in their bowling department. They have brought in top-quality seamers like Nikola Carey and Milly Illingworth," Raj said, speaking on JioHotstar.
She also highlighted MI’s enviable player availability record, stating, "Their other main players may not have a direct replacement. But as we witnessed in the last three seasons, their main players have not missed any matches. Maybe they were rested when the team was in a good position, but they have not missed games due to injury. Hopefully, the next seasons will be the same for MI."
Aakash Chopra echoed the sentiment, pointing out that MI’s minimal tinkering is deliberate rather than conservative. "The Mumbai Indians have kept almost everything the same. Only one keeper has changed. They played with Yastika Bhatia for three years. Now Gunalan Kamalini or someone else will come in her place. That is the only thing to look at. The rest is pretty much the same," he said.
According to him, the franchise’s long-standing philosophy remains intact. "They are still following their philosophy, even after the big auction. Why fix what is not broken? And if something is broken, then we will fix it again. They follow that philosophy and ideology, and it is right in front of us," he noted.
Chopra added that managing continuity after a mega auction is an accomplishment in itself. "It is very difficult to keep the same squad after a mega auction. After a big auction, you cannot always keep your main players. Winning makes the next auction the most difficult, because you do not want to change anything, but change is almost mandatory.
“Despite that, if you can keep your eleven players from last year, or your core, and no main player is missing, that is a huge achievement. It is almost impossible. But the Mumbai Indians have proved that nothing is impossible. Their squad is exactly the same as last year, with only minor changes. MI are certainly moving in the right direction to win their third WPL title," he explained.
Saba Karim, too, emphasised that MI’s disciplined approach came from knowing exactly whom they needed and why, stating that once those priorities were secured, MI shifted to supplementary talent.
“The focus of the Mumbai Indians was to get Amelia Kerr and Shabnim Ismail. Both are proven match-winners. Once they got those two, they could buy some uncapped talent and players who were already part of MI. That is what MI is all about. They create an environment that gives assurance to the players, and in the end, those players perform to the best of their abilities,” he said.
With their proven match-winners retained, their core untouched, and targeted reinforcements in place, the Mumbai Indians appear poised for another formidable title push. If continuity breeds success, MI may once again be setting the blueprint for building and sustaining a WPL dynasty.
--IANS
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