3 best IPL 2025 retention combinations for MI ft. Hardik Pandya & Rohit Sharma

The Mumbai Indians (MI) are on the back of arguably their worst-ever auction cycle in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They last added a trophy to their cabinet in the 2020 edition of the league, and 2024 saw them go through a bunch of off-field controversies and finish dead last in the standings.

However, Mumbai are still in control of their own destiny. They have an enviable Indian core with a plethora of retention options, especially in the batting department. The five-time IPL champions also have the best bowler in the league in the form of Jasprit Bumrah.

There are drawbacks to the same, though. MI find themselves in a challenging situation as far as their decision-making is concerned since they have so many world-class options at their disposal. Off-field drama has only made their predicament more confusing.

On that note, here are the three best IPL 2025 retention combinations for MI.

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#3 Retain the entire core - Bumrah (18) + Hardik (18) + Suryakumar (14) + Kishan (14) + Tilak (11) + Wadhera (4)

This will take a big chunk out of MI's purse, but if the think tank are intent on retaining the services of their stars, there might be no better option.

Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are untouchable. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma are bound to fetch at least the above amounts if they are let into the auction pool, given their age and obvious pedigree.

Could MI decide to take a hit to their auction funds and retain their entire core? It's very much within the realm of possibility. Mumbai could tick off a top-order left-hander who can keep wickets and a middle-order left-hander who can bowl part-time off-spin apart from Suryakumar, Hardik and Bumrah, whose profiles are unmatched among domestic players.

Given that one of the six has to be uncapped, either Nehal Wadhera or Naman Dhir could also be retained. Both are hugely exciting talents, offering part-time bowling along with versatility across batting roles. MI could seal more than half their side before even entering the auction.

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#2 Get bold with it - Bumrah (18) + Rohit (14) + Suryakumar (11) + Wadhera (4) + Dhir (4)

Hardik's return as captain didn't go to plan. There were reports of discontent amid the dressing room, and the focus at the franchise was arguably diluted by things that were said and done off the field. The fans didn't take too kindly to Mumbai replacing five-time title-winning skipper Rohit Sharma, either.

So there's a slight chance that MI might decide to move on from Hardik, who has since then lost the captaincy of the Indian T20I team as well. Following Rohit's run to the 2024 T20 World Cup title, Suryakumar has been assigned as the Men in Blue's shortest-format skipper. Hardik, meanwhile, has been thrust into a difficult situation with both franchise and country.

Rohit showed that he has some batting left in the tank at the T20 World Cup, although that has never translated into anything at the IPL level. MI could keep him on board, giving either him or Suryakumar the reins, and accept that the second Hardik chapter ended as a failure.

The main reason why this is unlikely is the fact that Hardik is one of the most valuable T20 assets in the country, and replacing him will be a near-impossible task. But non-cricketing reasons could play a hand.

Meanwhile, MI could secure both uncapped retentions ahead of the auction, although that would leave them with only one RTM card at the event.

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#1 Retain just the essentials - Bumrah (18) + Hardik (14) + Suryakumar (11)

This is perhaps the most likely course of action for MI. Rohit the batter hasn't delivered for close to a decade now, while Kishan had a disappointing campaign in 2024 and finds himself without a BCCI central contract.

MI could retain their untouchables - Bumrah, SKY and Hardik - while entering the auction with three RTM cards, enough to potentially buy back the likes of Tilak, Kishan, Wadhera and Dhir. It remains to be seen what prices these names go for, but they won't be as inflated in a mega auction.

Most teams are predicted to go in with such an approach. That said, though, most teams don't have the kind of world-beating domestic talent the Mumbai Indians do. So it remains to be seen which strategy pays dividends.