New Delhi: Mumbai Indians became the second team to crash out of the Indian Premier League after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a last-over thriller on Sunday. The result means the mighty MI unit will go without silverware for a sixth consecutive season — the longest trophy drought in their history — and will miss the playoffs for the fourth time since 2022.It has been a steep fall for the franchise since winning back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. Now is the time for them to put their house in order before initiating the much-needed reset. As TimesofIndia.com reported earlier this month, the MI dressing room remains far from ideal, and the inconsistent performances of star players have not helped the team’s cause.
Some individual performances — Ryan Rickelton’s firepower at the top, Rohit’s early brilliance, Tilak Varma‘s two knocks, and Corbin Bosch with the ball — raised hopes, but inconsistency has continued to drag the side down. Hardik Pandya has not been at his best with either bat or ball, and he has often appeared checked out in the middle. With the season effectively over, MI must make the most of their remaining fixtures against Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Rajasthan Royals.Suryakumar Yadav, who has been under pressure due to his prolonged lean patch with the bat, needs to make way for a youngster in the MI playing XI, with the right-hander scoring just 195 runs in 11 outings. Tilak Varma scored a fighting half-century against the RCB, but the left-hander’s returns have been erratic, reflected in his tournament tally of 261 runs from 11 matches. Of those, 158 runs came in just two innings, while the remaining nine innings produced only 103 runs.While Jasprit Bumrah has copped plenty of flak for his low wicket tally, the ace seamer has bowled his heart out without much support from the other end. With the campaign now all but over, MI must do Bumrah a favour and allow him to rest for the inconsequential final three games.
Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah bowls during the Indian Premier League 2026 match. (ANI)
Additionally, is it time to test the players warming the bench and give the underperforming seniors a break? Head coach Mahela Jayawardene does not seem ready for that and continues to back the “core group.”“They’re also trying to do their best. If I knew that it was something to do with that, I would have spoken to them. But the commitment and effort they’re putting in is unbelievable. So I was quite determined. With Ro [Rohit Sharma] getting injured and coming back to bat the way he did, it sums it up. I mean, the core group is quite valuable for us. You can’t just keep changing.“We went with the trust and confidence we had in them. And then it is what it is. Like I said, it’s difficult for me to go beyond that. They had a really good World Cup, winning it and all that. So I think it’s just that, as a unit, we haven’t been good enough,” said Jayawardene after MI were eliminated.MI are not used to being in the position they find themselves in this season, and the real challenge now will be to avoid another tenth-placed finish. If they do not bring in some much-needed changes, a third wooden-spoon finish in the last five seasons is very much on the cards.
