Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL 2026 campaign has not gone the way they had anticipated. They started the tournament with one of the strongest squads in the tournament, but the majority of them have fallen well short of expectations.
MI suffered their 7th defeat in 9 matches, as they lost to rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 8 wickets in Chennai. Now they have only 2 wins from 9 IPL games and have four points to their name, damaging their already slim playoff hopes.
Despite having players like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma, Mumbai has struggled with consistency this season. Bumrah has only taken three wickets in nine matches, while Suryakumar has an average of over 20 with the bat. Tilak has also found it tough to produce significant contributions on a consistent basis.
Following the defeat to CSK, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene defended his players, insisting that the team's shortcomings cannot be placed solely on individuals. Speaking on Suryakumar's form, the former Sri Lanka captain predicted that the batter would soon recover his rhythm.
“I don’t think his output is down; if he gets a few scores together, I think he’ll find that rhythm. He played really well today for that period, really took on the bowlers in that phase. I think another couple of overs, he could have been off for a really good score. Sometimes, when things are not going your way, ay it doesn’t fall in place; I think it was a pretty good shot that went straight to the fielder.
He’s definitely up for it. I think he’s in a good space; it’s just that it hasn’t worked, like the number of times he’s got caught on the boundary this season with some of those shots. It’s just a matter of time, but I think he himself is disappointed and just has to keep on working harder," Jayawardene said in the post-match press conference.
Tilak Varma is still developing as a T20 cricketer and learning how to adjust to various match circumstances, according to Jayawardene.
“Tilak Varma is also still learning and playing different roles that he’s been asked to play. T20 cricket is not that easy, I think the more he plays different situations, he’ll understand what he needs to do… handling situations, being a bit more proactive in thinking what we need to do in those situations is something he’ll find," Jayawardene said.
When asked about the bowling unit's failure, especially Bumrah's difficulties, Jayawardene emphasized that the problem is with the bowling effort as a whole rather than with a single player.
“It’s not just Booms; it’s a collective effort from all the bowlers. When everyone’s working together,r and you’re picking up wickets here and there, that helps Bumrah to be a bit more aggressive as well, rather than doing a holding job. Everyone tends to have a slow season, but class is always permanent," he added.
MI will next face LSG in Mumbai on May 4.
(ANI inputs)
