Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani finally revealed the main reason behind bringing South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock on board for INR 1 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mega auction on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to the broadcaster midway through the proceedings, Ambani stated that Quinton de Kock has a really good chemistry with Rohit Sharma, and this was the main reason behind the five-time champions acquiring the left-hander.
It is worth mentioning that Quinton de Kock is no stranger to the Mumbai Indians dressing room, as he spent three years with the franchise from 2019 to 2021. Last year, he was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders, but the three-time champions released him ahead of the mega auction.
Also Read: IPL 2026 Mini Auction Live Updates: Check our constant coverage here
Quinton recently played a knock of 90 runs in the second T20I against India, helping South Africa win the match in Mullanpur. The southpaw entered the auction at a base price of INR 1 crore.
“If you've seen, we've bid for Quinney in every auction that he's been available. Even last year, we were bidding against KKR for him. And the real thought process is there's a real chemistry now between Rohit and Quinney,” said Ambani.
“They were the championship-winning opening pair for us. Yes, it's been five (four) years later, that's what I told them when I spoke to both of them. But from my point of view, he's still very, very, very experienced and a very good IPL performer,” he added.
Who'll open alongside Rohit?
{{/usCountry}}“They were the championship-winning opening pair for us. Yes, it's been five (four) years later, that's what I told them when I spoke to both of them. But from my point of view, he's still very, very, very experienced and a very good IPL performer,” he added.
Who'll open alongside Rohit?
{{/usCountry}}With Quinton joining the Mumbai Indians ranks, it will be interesting to see who opens alongside Rohit once the IPL 2026 season begins. The franchise already has another opening option in the form of Ryan Rickelton, and it was he who opened the batting with Rohit in the last edition of the tournament, where the Mumbai Indians made it to the playoffs.
“Not to discount that his relationship with Ryan was a big factor in what we said, you know, growing up, Ryan idolised Quinton,” said Ambani.
“So he was pushing us in the South Africa auction also to open with Quinton, but finally here now they're amongst the same team,” he added.
Apart from Quinton, Mumbai also brought Atharva Ankolekar, Mohammad Izhar, and Danish Malewar in the mini auction.