IPL 2026: What Went Wrong For Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians This Season?

Mumbai Indians have always been a competitive side and have five Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies to show. The franchise's slow start has never really mattered because by the second half, the MI pick things up and find themselves in the playoffs spot.

However, the IPL 2026 has not been the same.

Their season has tailed off after their two-wicket loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur. Moreover, there were fingers raised at captaincy and injuries to key players was another reason for their downfall. Jasprit Bumrah's lack of wickets this season has also contributed to MI's downfall.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene even admitted that MI were simply 'not good enough' this season.

“We were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball, with the bat, and that showed the margins,” Jayawardene said after the Raipur defeat.

“We were probably two-three wins away from being in the same group of contenders to get into that playoff. But we didn’t get those wins.”

With teams like SunRisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals fully embracing fearless model of batting, Mumbai looked somewhere in the middle.

Here are some reasons as to why MI's season collapsed -

Jasprit Bumrah's Lack Of Wickets

India and Mumbai Indians' pace bowling spearheard Jasprit Bumrah ended the IPL 2026 with 4 wickets from 13 matches at an average of 102.50. The pacer looked out of sorts and lacked the killer instinct that he usually carries against the opposition batters.

Over the years, MI's bowling was single-handedly carried by Bumrah but this season has seen him go out of touch. Fitness issues, lack of rest etc. could be the reason but Bumrah's misfire has really added to Mumbai Indians' apathy in this IPL 2026.

Hardik Pandya's Captaincy Under Scrutiny

Hardik Pandya’s captaincy will naturally remain under scrutiny because the numbers do not make a happy reading. Since taking over Mumbai, MI have now lost 24 out of 39 matches under him. Be it the tactical decisions or failing to deliver in crunch moments, Pandya's captaincy reign in this campaign has been nothing short of disaster.

Speaking to reporters after Mumbai’s final league game of IPL 2026, Pollard admitted that Hardik’s leadership stint “has not gone as well” as either the player or the franchise would have hoped.

“From a leadership perspective on Hardik, yes, it has not gone as well as he would have wanted as an individual,” he said. “It might not have gone the way we as a management group would have wanted either. But one thing you should know is that we tried everything possible to give him the best opportunity to lead the franchise and succeed.”

Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma Fail To Fire

MI's biggest stars simply failed to turn up. Mumbai's batting superstars have not been consistent throughout this campaign. Suryakumar Yadav, who smashed more than 700 runs last season, managed only 270 runs.

Ryan Rickleton finished as their top-scorer with 448 runs with Tilak Varma a distant second at 359 runs. Such was the inconsistency in their batting that MI chased down 221 against KKR early on this season but the same batting stars collapsed to 29/3 against Chennai Super Kings for another damaging defeat.

No Spin Threat

Mumbai Indians, who possessed one of India's best spinner in Harbhajan Singh in their ranks, failed to produce one this season of the IPL. New Zealand's Mitchell Santner scalped five wickets this season before injury cut short his campaign. MI had no real quality spinner in their side apart from Santner and part-timer Will Jacks.