Deepak Chahar & Lasith Malinga are in MI camp in IPL 2026. PC- AP
The Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) hasn't been the season for the Mumbai Indians (MI) by any stretch. The five-time champions are crawling at the penultimate position on the points table, with just three wins and seven losses after 10 outings.
It has been such a season for the Hardik Pandya-led side. Barring a couple of good knocks from Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, and Naman Dhir, and some enthralling spells from Allah Ghazanfar, no MI player has stood up to their standards.
Even Deepak Chahar, in whom Mumbai invested heavily in the mega auction, has failed to deliver and has been the biggest disappointment for them. In four innings, the 33-year-old swing bowler has snapped a solitary wicket, at an economy rate of 12.38 and strike rate of 63.
Deepak Chahar disappoints Lasith Malinga
Not just the MI fans, but Deepak Chahar has been disappointing bowling coach Lasith Malinga with how things are going on. While preparing in the nets before the next game, the MI coach was seen sweating hard with his bowlers.
In a video shared by the Mumbai franchise, Lasith Malinga set up two yellow slalom poles for Deepak Chahar’s yorker practice, but the pacer ended up hitting the offside pole instead of the single stump placed between the two poles.
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The 33-year-old's miserable attempt made MI's most successful bowler mad, leaving him in complete disarray.
MI's poor show in IPL 2026
Although the Hardik Pandya-led MI started their IPL 2026 campaign with a victory, things went otherwise after that. They went on to lose four games in the trot before winning their second, then lost three more in the row.
For Mumbai, the three departments have fired simultaneously. If batters did their job, then bowlers failed to restrict the opposition. If bowlers had a better day, then batters were disappointing.
However, MI revised their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants in their last outing. Although MI bowlers allowed LSG to 228/5, exceptional batting knocks from Rohit Sharma (84 off 44) and Ryan Rickelton (83 in 32) took them home.
It is worth noting that not just the form, but also injuries have been constant in the MI camp. Rohit Sharma might have regained his fitness, but MI's captain Hardik Pandya missed the game against LSG due to a back spasm. Moreover, the star all-rounder didn't travel with the team to Raipur for the next game.
Can MI still qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2026?
Yes, the Mumbai Indians can still qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs, but their road to the knockouts will be full of hurdles and obstacles. For starters, they need to win all their remaining matches. And then hope all other permutations and combinations favour them.
Having said that, even if MI wins all four matches from here, they would end the league with 14 points. Since IPL 2022, no team has qualified for the playoffs with as few as 14 points, barring RCB in IPL 2024.
Nevertheless, Mumbai will be in action next on Sunday (May 10) against RCB in Raipur.
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