IPL 2026: 3 things that MI can improve in upcoming matches
The struggles continue unabated for the five-time IPL champions, the Mumbai Indians, in the 2026 IPL season. After winning their opening match of the league stage—a victory that marked the end of a 13-year streak—MI's fortunes have taken a turn for the worse once again, and the team has subsequently lost all four of its following matches. The losing streak continued against the Punjab Kings, leaving the team languishing in 9th place on the points table with a mere 2 points after five matches.
Ahead of the tournament, this team was widely regarded as a strong contender for the title. On paper, the squad still appears to be the strongest in the competition; however, their actual performance has been nothing short of dismal. The team is consistently struggling across all three departments of the game. The team's experienced batters appear to be out of form, while the standard of their bowling also seems quite low. Management strategies and planning are all failing, and if this trend continues, MI could soon find themselves knocked out of the race for the playoffs.
Witnessing the plight of MI—the most successful team in the history of the IPL—their fans have become quite disheartened. However, in the IPL, anything can happen at any time. The team will need to make some significant improvements in the upcoming cricket matches, improvements that were completely absent in their recent games.
1. Have to find the perfect bowling combination
In Cricketing terms, we have heard the adage that while one or two batsmen can win you a few matches, it is the bowlers who win you the tournament. The Mumbai Indians' bowling unit is currently struggling significantly. Jasprit Bumrah—arguably the world's best bowler—is still searching for his first wicket in IPL 2026. Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Allah Ghazanfar, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, and Mitchell Santner have also proven to be quite expensive. In almost every match, the team has conceded runs at an average rate exceeding 11 runs per over, and the bowlers' poor form is, in fact, the primary reason behind the team's current predicament.
The team needs to rotate its bowlers effectively. The MI blue jersey has certainly not suited Deepak Chahar; he has already conceded over 20 runs in the very first over on two occasions, a situation that inevitably places the other bowlers under pressure as well. Boult, too, has failed to secure early breakthroughs this season. While Shardul Thakur, Allah Ghazanfar, and Mitchell Santner have indeed taken wickets, they have also proven to be expensive. In such a scenario, Jasprit Bumrah remains the last hope for MI fans. However, opposing batsmen have stepped up against him with a formidable strategy: they treat Bumrah with respect during the initial overs, and then, in the death overs, they build pressure by taking singles and doubles interspersed with a boundary or two.
2. Out-of-form batters hurting the team
Mumbai Indians' concerns are not limited solely to their bowling department. Several of the team's batters appear to be out of form, including Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya. Despite Quinton de Kock's century against Punjab, the team managed to score only 195 runs. So far, Suryakumar Yadav has scored just 106 runs across five matches at an average of 20, while Hardik Pandya has managed 81 runs in four matches at an average of 27. Tilak Varma's form is also a cause for concern for the team, as he has scored only 43 runs in five matches so far, averaging a mere 8.60.
While the team's openers have performed well thus far, the poor form of these three players is preventing the team from sustaining the pressure built upon their opponents. It is imperative for MI that these three players start scoring runs with the bat. For the team, the highest number of runs this season has come from the bat of former captain Rohit Sharma, who has scored 137 runs in 4 innings, while Ryan Rickelton has scored the same number of runs in 5 matches.
3. planning lapses, strategic errors, and leadership issues
The Mumbai Indians team appears completely clueless this season. The team is struggling to even assemble a playing XI. If a single player sustains an injury, the team ends up making two or three changes simultaneously. The team's in-match planning—including their player-specific strategies—has also failed. This was clearly evident in the match against PBKS: when Rohit Sharma was sidelined due to injury, the team brought in Quinton de Kock but dropped Trent Boult—and this despite Boult possessing an excellent record against Prabhsimran Singh. In yesterday's match, Prabhsimran remained unbeaten until the very end, scoring 80 runs to guide PBKS to victory. The team also displayed no specific strategy against Shreyas Iyer, allowing him to score runs with ease. The team needs to improve their planning and player-vs-player strategy, and also the team’s mindset. Hardik Pandya, the captain, acknowledged that his squad will reconsider their strategy and planning.
"To be very honest, I have nothing to say at the moment. We need to go back to the drawing board and see what we are lacking. Is it individuals? Is it as a group? Is it planning? We will sit and figure it out soon, and then we will see what we can do next," Hardik Pandya said in the post-match interview.
