12 May,2026 09:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Rohan Koli
MI players after their loss to RCB in Raipur on Sunday. Pic/PTI
While most of the successful franchises this season have gone with a settled core of 15 to 18 players, MI have failed to field their best XI consistently, resulting in constant reshuffling. The five-time champions ended up using 24 players from their 25-man squad as the team management seemed to have panicked and brought in changes. This disrupted the team's chemistry and created ambiguity in the minds of players regarding their roles. This instability hurt them overall.
On paper, MI, led by star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, boasted a strong bowling attack, but the duo failed to deliver consistently, often going for expensive spells. RCB smashed a mammoth 240-4 at Wankhede, while SRH further exposed the attack by chasing down a massive 244-run target at the same venue. A major reason behind MI's struggles was pace spearhead Bumrah's poor form. He endured his worst league average of 116.33 in 11 matches, claiming just three wickets. Fellow pacers Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, and Boult were equally ineffective.
A lot was expected from T20 World Cup winners Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, who can change games within a few balls with their power-hitting. However, the duo struggled to find rhythm. Barring one knock of 51, Suryakumar scored 144 in his other 10 innings, which also included two ducks. His inability to dominate the middle overs left MI's batting order in disarray. Similarly, skipper Pandya, known for his finisher's role with the bat, failed to accelerate at the death, striking at just 136.44, leaving MI short while both posting and chasing down totals.
MI's campaign was dismantled in the Powerplay in most matches. Following opener Rohit Sharma's mid-season injury, the top order failed to match the opposition's pace in the first six overs. While fielding, MI pacers conceded nearly 12 runs per over. MI scored 595 runs in the Powerplay across 11 matches while conceding 720 runs. This often left them playing catch-up with their opponents in the middle overs.
The failure to make proper use of the Impact Sub rule has been one of MI's biggest tactical blunders, leaving fans baffled. While defending 244 against SRH, pacer Shardul Thakur was brought on as an Impact Sub but was not given a single over, even as other bowlers were taken apart. Similarly, against RCB on Sunday, spinner Raghu Sharma was brought in as a substitute for Rohit Sharma, but remained unused. By underutilising their substitutions, MI effectively played a man short, thus handing over the advantage to the opposition.
