New Delhi, Oct 29 — Mumbai Indians bowling coach and mentor Jhulan Goswami has credited the franchise’s scouting team for identifying emerging talent after they signed six uncapped Indian players at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027 auction, saying the process of tracking potential recruits continues throughout the year.
Mumbai Indians entered Wednesday’s auction in Kochi with the lowest purse of Rs 90 lakh and completed their squad by signing six uncapped players, including Shweta Sehrawat, Disha Kasat, Latika Inamdar, Bharti Rawal, Saanika Chalke and Akshita Bhagat.
“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,” Jhulan told Jio Star.
She also highlighted the importance of assessing a player’s mentality alongside performances while selecting talent for the franchise.
“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 said.
Delhi-based Shweta, who was retained by UP Warriorz in 2026, attracted a bidding contest between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals before being signed by MI for Rs 20 lakh, double her base price.
Jhulan said the Mumbai Indians had made a strong effort to sign India batter Kiran Navgire but had to withdraw from the bidding after reaching their financial limit.
“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,” she said.
Mumbai Indians made an early bid for Navgire but pulled out at Rs 70 lakh, with Delhi Capitals eventually signing the batter for Rs 75 lakh.
Jhulan added that the franchise managed to secure almost all its preferred targets despite the limited budget, with Shweta being the exception among its Indian domestic recruits in terms of price expectations.
“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,” she said.
“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,” Jhulan added.
The 2027 WPL season is scheduled to be played from January 14 to February 7, with venues yet to be announced.