3 teams who should target Chris Woakes for IPL 2026 ft. Mumbai Indians 

England veteran pacer Chris Woakes announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, September 29. He was not named in the squad for the Ashes recently after sustaining a dislocated shoulder in the fifth Test against India at The Oval.

The right-arm pacer is largely known for his exploits in the longer formats, but has had a relatively decent T20 career as well. He has played in 167 matches in the shortest format to date, where he has taken 177 wickets at an average of 25.24 and an economy rate of 8.24.

The 36-year-old has also played for three IPL franchises in the past, making a total of 21 appearances with 30 wickets at an average of 21.93 and an economy of 8.97.

On that note, let us take a look at three teams who should target Chris Woakes for IPL 2026.

#1 Mumbai Indians

Looking at the playing conditions as a massive factor, the Wankhede Stadium arguably suits Chris Woakes' skill set, given his strength with the new ball. He has featured at the venue five times in his IPL career, picking up seven wickets at an average of 21 and an economy of 8.17. However, there are other factors as well that make MI's potential move for Woakes sensible.

MI have multiple new ball options in their setup, with all three of Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, and Deepak Chahar capable of handling the role. However, with the latter's injury record along with the temptation to hold more of Bumrah's overs for the back end of the innings, Woakes presents himself as a decent option to be explored as a backup player.

MI have emerging pacers like Ashwani Kumar and Satyanarayana Raju in the mix as well, but they cannot match Woakes' ability and experience if MI need someone to take over the new ball duties as a specialist.

Woakes has also been linked with a move to the MI Emirates in the 2026 International League T20. While the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE ) is set to take place well after the mini-auction, the parent franchise might keep their eye on the recently retired pacer to expand the squad.

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR struggled with their overseas pacers massively in IPL 2025. They had the luxury of having a champion new ball specialist in Mitchell Starc, who played a massive part in their triumph in 2024. However, the drop-off that ensued was significant.

Neither Anrich Nortje nor Spencer Johnson live up to the role, while Andre Russell's inconsistency and injury concerns do not make him a strong candidate as well. KKR only had one proper new-ball bowler in Vaibhav Arora, and their struggles reflected through their results.

Woakes' potential return to KKR makes sense across several fronts. The franchise are in desperate need of a new-ball specialist, and has a prolific record at the Eden Gardens in the IPL, picking up 14 wickets in seven matches at an average of 12.79 and an economy of 8.14. Also, the veteran comes across as a bargain option in a tricky mini-auction window where the high-profile names will be hard to attract.

#3 Lucknow Super Giants

Chris Woakes has a Super Giants connection already through his SA20 stint with the Durban's Super Giants. The English pacer could prove to be a valuable asset in an LSG bowling setup that is in a crumbled state.

Going all out for Indian bowlers at the mega auction, the strategy did not particularly pan out due to a combination of lack of prowess and injury concerns. LSG were without a tangible new ball bowler even before the season behind, and had to hand the responsibility to replacement signing, Shardul Thakur.

LSG's current overseas bowlers, Will O'Rourke and Shamar Joseph, have not been able to make an impact in the handful of matches they have played so far, and looking for new options is now not only a priority, but a non-negotiable aspect for the franchise.

While LSG can cover the death overs with Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan, and let the spin pair of Digvesh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi control the iddle overs, they do not have a promising candidate specifically catered towards the powerplay, which is where Chris Woakes comes in.