Why did the Mumbai Indians bid for Cameron Green despite knowing they can't afford him? MI owner reveals
Mumbai Indians briefly entered the bidding for Cameron Green, even though they knew they could not afford him. Owner Akash Ambani has revealed why the team raised its paddle for him during the IPL 2026 auction. Read the full story here.
Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani has revealed why the team briefly raised its paddle for Cameron Green during the IPL 2026 auction — even though they knew they could not afford him.
Green eventually became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history, with Kolkata Knight Riders buying the Australian all-rounder for ₹25.20 crore, the third-highest bid ever in the league.
The auction turned into a big battle. Rajasthan Royals dropped out around ₹13 crore. Then Chennai Super Kings pushed the price past ₹20 crore, bidding up to ₹25 crore. Finally, KKR won with the last bid of ₹25.20 crore.
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Mumbai Indians’ Symbolic Bid for Cameron Green
Mumbai Indians briefly entered the bidding for Cameron Green, even though they knew they could not afford him.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, MI owner Akash Ambani said the move was symbolic.
“A little bit of homage to him," he said. “His first IPL team was the Mumbai Indians. We knew he was out of our purse this auction, but just to tell him that we value him, he’ll still be in our thoughts. And whenever Cam Green is in the auction, our paddle will go up for him."
Green’s IPL Journey and MI’s Auction Strategy
Green started his IPL journey with MI and later played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he scored 707 runs in 29 matches at an average of 41.58 and a strike rate over 153, including a century and two fifties. He also took 16 wickets. Injury kept him out of last season’s auction.
Ambani expressed satisfaction with MI’s overall auction strategy, even though they had their lowest purse in 19 years.
“Very satisfied with the team we have," he said. “It was a different challenge — I don’t think we’ve had this kind of auction in 19 years. But it shows how balanced we were. We only needed to fill a couple of gaps."
After five underwhelming seasons, Ambani sounded hopeful.
“Hopefully, this is the year. We believe it’s a complete and competitive squad."
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