3 Players Mumbai Indians regretted buying at IPL auctions

The Mumbai Indians (MI) are the joint-most successful franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history, having lifted five trophies. MI are known for carefully planning their auction, doing good homework on the uncapped players and coming up with a well-thought-out plan for the bidding event.

However, despite their meticulous planning, MI have made some blunders at the auction, as some of their biggest buys have failed to deliver the goods on the pitch. Here’s a list of the top three players which MI have regretted buying in their history:

1. Glenn Maxwell (2013) 

The Australia all-rounder was the most expensive signing at the 2013 IPL auction, being sold for USD 1 million (approx 5.3 CR INR at the time) to MI. However, Glenn Maxwell barely got any chances during the season due to the abundance of foreign stars in the Mumbai Indians lineup.

He played just 3 games in the season, scoring 36 runs in 3 innings with a high score of 23 at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 133.33, and bowling just 2 overs for 23 runs without taking a wicket

2. Jofra Archer (2022)

Jofra Archer’s signing was a massive gamble taken by MI in the 2022 mega auction as they signed the fast bowler for a whopping INR 8 Crore. Archer was suffering from an elbow injury at the time, and the IPL guidelines specifically stated that any team buying him would not be able to sign a replacement since he was already declared ruled out of the 2022 season.

Mumbai Indians hoped to pair Archer with Jasprit Bumrah to further wreak havoc on opponents. However, the one season Archer played for MI was in 2023, when Bumrah was ruled out with injury. Archer also wasn’t at his peak fitness as he continued to struggle with his elbow injury and only took just 2 wickets in 5 innings, averaging 95 with the ball at an economy rate of 9.50 an over.

3. Deepak Chahar (2025)

Deepak Chahar was signed by the Mumbai Indians in the 2025 IPL mega auction for his reputation as a handy swing bowler in the powerplay along with a pinch hitter down the order. He was signed for INR 9.25 crore, which was expensive given his frequent injury issues and lack of recent form in the league.

Chahar has scalped just 19 wickets in 22 innings for MI across 2 seasons in the IPL, averaging close to 34 with the ball and conceding at an economy rate of 9.64.