Chasing Rajasthan Royals target of 206, Mumbai Indians looked in control and were 148 for 5, with Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya at the crease. But they started losing wickets and were restricted to 175 for 9, as RR sealed the last available playoff spot with the win. This small phase of yesterday’s match, sums up MI’s campaign this season.
With 60 needed off 34 balls, Mumbai looked favourites to win it from there and end their campaign on a high. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin speaking on his YouTube channel, blasted Mumbai’s poor campaign in IPL 2026.
“At the Wankhede Stadium, if you need 60 runs off 34 balls, I think Mumbai Indians would usually chase it down. But the problem was… yes, that’s where things went wrong. Hardik hit well today, even against the spinners. If you remember, for Gujarat Titans, Hardik used to bat at number four or sometimes number five, and he used to take down the spinners,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin feels Mumbai Indians have looked a “bit strange” this season. He even said he wouldn’t be surprised if Mumbai end up having a similar season next year as well.
“I think I said it in the commentary box too, Hardik looks like he has a small problem with the hard-length ball. I don’t know why, could be fatigue, could be an injury. I said something about this last time too. He got out, mishitting a short, slower ball from Jofra Archer. I think the game turned right there because the partnership of Hardik and Surya would have chased that down, but they were just not able to accelerate.
“This Mumbai Indians team felt a bit strange. I don’t know. It cannot be easy. Given their quality, maybe they can come back and play well next year, but I won’t be surprised if they find it tough for one more year. Because of the way their team is structured, it looks like a lot of people are not at their best. I don’t know what it is, but they are not looking at their best. So, I was surprised this year, but next year I won’t be surprised. Next year, even if Mumbai Indians give a middling performance, I wouldn’t be surprised. It has been a very disappointing performance,” he said.
Ashwin also dished out an interesting trivia on Jasprit Bumrah, which felt more like criticism than anything else.
“Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t playing today either. It was never going to be easy. It was RR’s game to lose, and RR won. I mean, credit where it’s due. Jasprit Bumrah not playing was also a bit of a help for Punjab… wait, do you know this record? This is the first time in the history of the IPL that a bowler has played a full season and averaged over 100, and that’s Jasprit Bumrah! If I had told anyone this…”
