Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has reckoned that Mumbai Indians (MI) would likely drop Trent Boult and play the ace Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh alongside Jasprit Bumrah in the forthcoming IPL 2027 season.
In a marquee player trade deal ahead of the IPL 2027 mini-auction, MI captain Hardik Pandya moved to Punjab Kings (PBKS), while Arshdeep Singh joined the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said that MI missed out on giving consistent chances to Sherfane Rutherford and Corbin Bosch in the last season by playing Trent Boult. However, he added that Boult needs to be dropped with Arshdeep’s entry to the squad, which would give more chances to Allah Ghazanfar and Bosch.
“Trent Boult is an overseas pacer. When he plays, someone like Rutherford or Bosch needs to sit out. So with Arshdeep coming in as an Indian bowler, MI will have another option to play a foreign player instead of Boult. I think Arshdeep will play ahead of Boult. Then even Ghazanfar can play more. Bosch got very few games last season. He did well. I think this is what their plan will be,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Arshdeep’s ability to make early breakthroughs with the new ball makes him a key bowler. He scalped 21 wickets in IPL 2025 and 14 wickets in the 2026 season. Arshdeep will join MI at his existing fee of ₹18 crore.
It’s worth noting that Corbin Bosch emerged as Mumbai Indians’ joint second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2026, claiming 12 wickets in just six appearances at an average of 16.25 and an economy rate of 9.66. In comparison, Trent Boult endured a difficult campaign, managing only two wickets in five matches at a steep average of 94 and an economy rate of 11.62.
