Mumbai Indians kept its main core in place for the WPL 2026 squad ahead of the mega auction. Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur and G Kamalini were retained.

At the WPL 2026 mega auction, Amelia Kerr returned through a fierce bidding battle. Ahead of the auction, MI released the New Zealand allrounder.

Mumbai entered the auction with a purse of 5.75 crore and 13 empty slots. Their focus stayed on rebuilding bowling options and adding finishing power.

Kerr became one of the most contested names as Mumbai pushed their bid to ₹3 crore and secured her. She remains the youngest woman to hit a double century in ODIs. Her return strengthens both Mumbai’s balance and long-term planning.

Owners Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani looked extremely happy as they brought their girl back. Nita started clapping in joy. She congratulated captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Mentor Jhulan Goswami and Head Coach Lisa Keightley looked relieved as well.

Amelia Kerr has been one of the most dependable all-rounders in the WPL. In 29 matches so far, she has scored 437 runs with a strike rate of 119.40.

Her best season with the bat was in 2024, when she made 215 runs at an average of 35.83. With the ball, she has been even more impressive, taking 40 wickets overall at an excellent average of 17.90 and an economy rate of 7.64. Kerr’s standout performance with her leg break remains a stunning 5/38 against UP Warriorz.

Why did MI release Amelia Kerr?

The Mumbai Indians first bought Amelia Kerr for ₹1 crore in the inaugural WPL season. Before the 2026 mega auction, they retained five players, which used up most of their purse. It left them with only ₹5.75 crore.

This forced them to release Kerr along with other big names. Once she entered open bidding, her price rose fast, and MI had to spend ₹3 crore to buy her back, three times her earlier value.

Teams often release important players before a mega auction to reset contracts. They re-sign them only if the final price fits their budget.