Mumbai Indians secure 95-97% of targeted players in WPL 2027 auction, says Jhulan Goswami

Mumbai Indians Bowling Coach and Mentor Jhulan Goswami stated that the franchise successfully acquired 95 to 97 per cent of its targeted players at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027 mini-auction, despite missing out on Kiran Navgire.

Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Match Centre Live Auction Special’, Goswami reflected on the auction held in Kochi on Wednesday. She acknowledged that the franchise was unable to exceed its budget in pursuit of Navgire, describing the player as impactful and anticipating strong competition.

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“We tried our best and went as far as we could for Kiran Navgire, but unfortunately, we didn’t get her. And that’s how the auction dynamics work. She is an impactful player. So, we definitely expected quite a few teams to go after her. But at the same time, we had other options. Thankfully, we got most of the players we wanted. So, yeah, the auction was very good, and we are all very happy,” Goswami said.

She emphasised the importance of scouting young domestic talent based on consistent performance, their ability to win matches, and their mindset.

“Our job as a coach is to look at young players who score runs on a regular basis in domestic cricket, take wickets, bat at a good strike rate, and win matches for their team. The most important thing is: do they have that winning mindset? Because performances can be up and down, but you must have that mindset with which you can take the team ahead and make the team win,” she explained.

Goswami added that the players Mumbai Indians secured at their base prices had proven their ability through consistent performances for their respective state teams. She credited the franchise’s scouting team for their extensive and continuous efforts in tracking talent both in India and abroad.

“Whatever players we picked at their base price this time, they have that ability, and they have been performing quite well consistently for their state teams. Picking several players at base prices shows how hard our scouting team is working. And scouting is a round-the-clock process since you have to follow matches, irrespective of whether they are happening in India or outside India. And because of them, it becomes easy for us when we come to the auction table, knowing who our targets are,” she stated.

Assessing Mumbai Indians’ overall auction performance, Goswami said the franchise managed to sign nearly all targeted players, with the exceptions of Kiran Navgire and Shweta Sehrawat. She noted the team’s limited purse required strategic planning and contingency options.

“I think, more or less, 95 to 97 per cent of the players we had targeted, we got them, except Kiran Navgire. We didn’t get her. But we knew it was going to be a challenge. We didn’t have the budget to go further than what we did. But all the other Indian domestic players that we had targeted, we more or less got all of them at their best prices, except Shweta Sehrawat. So, yeah, we are very happy with the auction. We came into this auction with the lowest purse of Rs 90 lakhs, so we had to plan and prepare, keeping that challenge and accordingly different options in mind. And when you face challenging situations, your best performance comes out, both on the cricket field and off the field,” she added.

Mumbai Indians entered the auction with the smallest purse of Rs 90 lakh and acquired six uncapped players: Shweta Sehrawat, Akshita Bhagat, Disha Kasat, Latika Inamdar, Bharti Rawal and Sanika Chalke.