Since winning their opening game of the 2026 IPL season against Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets, Mumbai Indians have stuttered in most games since.
Prior to the campaign, the team were considered one of the favorites to win the competition thanks to their stellar lineup on paper. But losses to Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and RCB dropped them down to the foot of the table.
A fourth consecutive loss against Punjab Kings continued a worrying trend for Hardik Pandya’s camp. For them to bounce back to make the playoffs from here, several issues need to be addressed.
Jasprit Bumrah’s lack of fortune with the ball
In the race for the Purple Cap in 2025, Jasprit Bumrah ended up finishing way behind eventual winner Prasidh Krishna. Nevertheless, his 18 wickets still gave encouraging signs that he would be at his formidable best for the 2026 season.
However, that’s been far from the truth so far. Bumrah did not pick up a wicket in any of his first five matches – the longest streak of his career so far in the competition.
If the Indian international isn’t taking wickets every game, then Mumbai almost certainly don’t have a chance of winning the title. Sports bettors will be keeping a close eye on the bowler in upcoming performances as they decide if the team are worth backing for the remainder of the season.
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Wider issues in the bowling lineup
Despite Bumrah’s lack of wickets, that’s not to say that he is bowling poorly. Across Mumbai’s opening five games, he was the most economical, averaging 8.63 runs per over, despite giving up 41 runs in four overs against Punjab Kings.
That was the lowest out of all players in the bowling lineup, an indicator that many teams are now playing it safe against the seamer. But many of Mumbai’s other bowlers have been punished.
Although Shardul Thakur is the team’s leading wicket-taker, he is conceding more than 13 runs an over. Trent Boult is in a similar position, with his overs coming at a cost of roughly 12 runs.
The pair, along with Hardik Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Corbin Bosch, and Mayank Markande, are all conceding at least 10 runs per over. Taking wickets remains the goal, but that shouldn’t come at such an expensive price.
Historical shortcomings with the bat increasingly evident
When issues with the ball are paired with inconsistency with the bat, you have a recipe for trouble. Unfortunately for Mumbai, that’s been the case for much of this year so far.
Against Delhi and in the rain-reduced match against Rajasthan Royals, the team never found its rhythm. In their loss against Punjab Kings, Quinton de Kock’s century was in vain due to him being one of only three players to reach double digits. And against RCB, despite reaching a respectable 222 in the chase of 240, their firepower still came up short.
Making the most of the powerplay to reach bigger totals has been an issue for Mumbai in recent years. There have been multiple instances of teams scoring 70 or more runs during the first six overs since the start of the 2025 season. But Mumbai, despite playing at the Wankhede Stadium, which is famously good for batting, has only managed that twice.
There were more encouraging signs against Gujarat Titans, where Mumbai won by 99 runs, but the wider batting order now needs to pull together to keep momentum going.
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