Former champions Mumbai Indians (MI) are currently in trouble in IPL 2026. After winning their first match, Mumbai Indians are facing defeat in four consecutive matches. They broke this streak with an impressive 99-run win over Gujarat Titans, but suffered a crushing 103-run defeat to CSK on April 23. This was the first time that MI lost an IPL match by more than a hundred runs.
Sanju Samson’s second century of the season, coupled with a brilliant four-wicket haul from Akeal Hosein, took MI further up the points table.
As a result, they are now placed eighth in the points table with just 2 wins from 7 matches. His net run rate has also been affected. While this is not the worst NRR in the league, -0.736 does not paint a pleasant picture.
Before the start of the season, Mumbai Indians were considered one of the strongest teams on paper and serious title contenders. This team included those four players who had helped the Indian team win the T20 World Cup just a few weeks before the start of the IPL.
Mathematically, Mumbai Indians are still in the race
All is not bad and disappointing for the Hardik Pandya-led team right now. They are still in the race mathematically, but they will need something special from here.
Many did not think that the performance of this star-studded team could be so poor. In 2025, MI had lost four of their first five matches and qualified for the playoffs, but the task has become much tougher this year.
The impact on their NRR during the loss to CSK essentially means that they have to win all their remaining 7 matches to qualify for the playoffs. Currently 7 teams have more points than Mumbai Indians, so apart from going 7 to 7, they may find themselves in a situation where they will need outside help.
Also read: 3 reasons why Hardik Pandya should leave the captaincy of Mumbai Indians?
Effect on net run rate
MI will not only have to win but also improve their net run rate. Assuming they win all their remaining matches, the average victory margin in each match should be around 50 runs. But this is easier said than done.
If MI loses their next match too, they will definitely need 6 wins in 6 matches with outside help, but the NRR jump will be even higher.
Live odds from leading forecasting analysts give Mumbai Indians only an 8% chance of actually reaching the last four. As far as weird things that have happened, writing them down isn’t necessarily a wise practice, but it’s pretty much now or never.
final call
Apart from finishing ahead of at least 4 other teams in terms of points, Mumbai needs to overtake at least 5 other teams in net run rate. This means they will have to bring a calculator and rely on other results to qualify, even if they win all their matches from here.
Mumbai Indians’ next match will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, April 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
