Season at a glance
As the saying goes, Mumbai Indians started with a bang and ended with a whimper. Anyone who was at the Wankhede on March 29 and May 24 would have noted the contrast. They took on Kolkata Knight Riders head-on and fearlessly chased down 220 in the season opener, finally breaking a 13-year jinx of first game losses. There was an air of celebration around the stadium. The franchise owners, including Mukesh Ambani, came down from the stands and mingled with the players and even members of the opposition side. Experts began predicting that this could be Mumbai Indians' season. They looked every bit the World XI that Justin Langer had labelled them.
Cut to May 24 and the mood was sombre. Even after dismissing the dangerous Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cheaply, they failed to beat the Rajasthan Royals. So downbeat was the side that they did not even take a lap of honour, a ritual teams indulge in after their final home game of the season. Three captains, 24 players - the most used by any side in a single season - questionable selections and 10 defeats... Mumbai Indians looked listless, nowhere more so than in the home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, when they failed to defend 243. At times, one did not know who would lead the side until the toss. By the end of the season, the conversation had shifted to a possible change in captaincy and even a trade involving the incumbent. They were a far cry from the five-time champions of the past.
In a season marked by underachievers and underperformers, Tilak Varma was a beacon of hope. Although he was not the team's highest run-scorer, his tally of 359 runs was highly creditable, especially given the absence of a settled role in the middle order. His century against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad was an innings of high quality.
A stat that adds up:
Jasprit Bumrah picked 4 wickets. To put that in perspective, 64 bowlers picked more wickets than him in IPL 2026. That was one of the many reasons for MI's dismal season.
A mini-auction pick that...
- Looked a million bucks: Quinton de Kock. Got only three opportunities and made the most of them, scoring a century in one of those innings. His place at the top of the order was taken by fellow South African Ryan Rickelton, who went on to emerge as the side's best batter. MI management should have persisted with de Kock for a longer period, pushing Rickelton down. He anyway does not always open for South Africa.
- Didn't work out: Danish Malewar. Totally looked out of sorts in the two games he played.
Best match of the season: The away game against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on May 24. Tilak Varma and Will Jacks added 56 runs in just 21 deliveries and then calmly knocked off the 15 required in the final over to chase down 201. It was arguably Tilak's finest innings of the season after his century in Ahmedabad and effectively ruined the campaign of the then high-flying Punjab Kings.
