IPL 2026 Trade: Mumbai Indians Eye Spin Boost With Trade For KKR Star; Report

Mumbai Indians are hoping to reunite with Mayank Markande for IPL 2026. The leg spinner was part of MI's title winning squads in 2019 and 2020, but has since fallen out of favour. Markande is behind Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in the KKR ranks and a move to MI could aid in his search for game time.

As per TOI, MI have been in talks with KKR for the trade. The move would be a cash swap, with Kolkata having bough the leggie for 30 lakh. Markande did not play a single game last season under captain Ajinkya Rahane.

It would mark a second significant trade involving Mumbai Indians. The 5-time champions are reportedly acquiring Shardul Thakur in a 2 crore deal from Lucknow Super Giants. Arjun Tendulkar is also closing to moving to LSG in a separate deal.

Spin has been MI's Achilles heel. They have had to rely on veterans Piyush Chawla and Karn Sharma in recent seasons. Markande first eased those woes in 2018, earning an India call up in 2019. Rahul Chahar succeeded him winning a title himself. TOI reports MI were also in touch with SRH for Chahar, but no talks have materialised yet. It would have reunited Rahul with his brother Deepak again. The duo had featured together for the RPSG franchise.

Why are MI trading fringe players?

Should the reported deals go through, MI will lose another 2.3 crore from their purse for the IPL 2026 Auction. That for two fringe players does not add up.

However it could turn out to be a smart strategy. MI are one of the few teams to have very few releases. Instead of getting into a bidding war with their limited purse, the franchise are aiming to address them via the trading market.