Mumbai Indians' Struggle: Can They Turn Their Fate Around in IPL 2026?

With five titles, one runner-up finish, and 11 playoff entries, very few teams have achieved the success and dominance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) like Mumbai Indians (MI) with consistency over the years.However, the team has been less than dominant in recent years, so much so that the much-celebrated move of bringing back Hardik Pandya and promoting him as the skipper of the side in 2024 has also not proved fruitful.In the ongoing IPL 2026, MI are currently ninth in the table with just two wins in nine matches. But why is the once-dominant franchise in the tournament going through a rough patch, and how exactly have Hardik’s numbers as skipper been?Let’s take a deep look and try to decode what went wrong for the Mumbai-based franchise.IPL 2026 Match 47, MI vs LSG:LIVE SCORE|FULL SCORECARD|PLAYING 11|LIVE STREAMINGHistory of Mumbai IndiansMI started their IPL journey slowly, finishing fifth and seventh in the first two seasons before finally reaching the final in the third season, where they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). While they were unable to lift the title, they started to rise in the team rankings quickly.In the next 10 years, MI won five titles apart from three other playoff finishes, establishing themselves as one of the most successful teams of the tournament. However, since 2020, the team has been unable to add another trophy to their cabinet.In 2024, the team management, with hopes of changing their fate, brought back their former player Hardik Pandya via a trade from Gujarat Titans (GT) and even handed him the captaincy. But things have remained the same as they have failed to win the trophy.ALSO READ:IPL 2026: Mid-season review of MI, top performers, remaining fixturesWhy did MI decide to bring back Hardik?MI’s decision to bring back Hardik Pandya was due to two reasons. He was one of MI’s top performers from 2015 to 2021 before moving to GT in 2022. His ability to win matches with both bat and ball was one of the primary reasons why MI wanted him back.On top of that, while MI were struggling with form, Hardik helped GT become champions in his maiden season as captain and led them to the final in 2023. The Mumbai-based franchise saw him as their future leader and decided not just to bring him back but also hand him the captaincy by sacking Rohit Sharma.Troubles from the startWhen Hardik replaced Rohit as the skipper of MI, the decision was not received happily by fans and critics alike. There were many reports that some players in the squad were unhappy with the decision and that the players were even separated into Rohit and Hardik groups.While the authenticity of this news was never confirmed, the team’s performance certainly took a hit as MI, in that season, finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins in 14 matches.Resurrection in 2025MI’s start in IPL 2025 was similar to their run in 2024. They lost four of their first five games and were looking at another early exit. However, they turned their fortunes around and went on to win seven of their next games to finish fourth on the points table and reach the playoffs.In the Eliminator, they beat Gujarat Titans to reach Qualifier 2, where they eventually lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) to finish third in the season.Sharp decline in 2026In the ongoing IPL 2026, MI started their campaign with a dominant six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), breaking their 14-year-long jinx of losing the first game every season. But things fell apart after that as they lost seven of their next eight games and are now just one loss away from being eliminated from the playoff race.Nothing going right for MIIn IPL 2026, MI came out as one of the strongest teams on paper as they had four players from the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning team with them, including the winning captain Suryakumar Yadav. They also had players like Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, and Mitchell Santner, who all enjoyed a great outing in the T20 World Cup.Everything was great for MI until it was not. After winning the first game, things started to fall apart, so much so that skipper Hardik Pandya, after his recent loss to CSK, admitted that this has not been MI’s season.World Cup stars failed to deliverOne of the biggest reasons why MI are going through a lean patch is the underperformance of their T20 World Cup stars. Their biggest asset, Jasprit Bumrah, who was among the top wicket-takers in the ICC event, has just three wickets to his name in nine games so far in IPL 2026.India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, with just one fifty to his name, has scored only 183 runs in nine matches. Tilak Varma played one brilliant innings of 101 runs against GT, but apart from that he has just 92 runs in other games, taking his total to 193 runs in nine matches.Skipper Hardik Pandya himself has been unable to deliver either with bat or ball as he has scored 146 runs with the bat and taken just four wickets with the ball.The side was heavily dependent on these players for getting results, but their lack of consistency and underwhelming performances have left the side stuck in the bottom half of the points table.Inconsistency in team selectionIPL 2026 has been home to many player injuries, and MI were also not left untouched. They had two big injuries as their former skipper Rohit Sharma is on the sidelines after four games due to a hamstring injury, while Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the season due to a shoulder injury.While MI’s two injuries were big, they were not too many in number compared to other teams. However, MI have still used 23 players so far this season, which is the most among all 10 teams. They have used three players more than joint second-placed CSK and Delhi Capitals (DC), who have used 20 players each.These numbers show that players have been unable to feel confident about their place in the squad, which often results in them failing to perform under pressure. MI have used so many players that out of the 25 players they signed prior to the season and one replacement signing, only three players — Mohammed Izhar, Raj Bawa, and replacement player Maharaj — are yet to get a game.Teams with most players used in IPL 2026TeamPlayers UsedMumbai Indians (MI)23Chennai Super Kings (CSK)20Delhi Capitals (DC)20Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)18Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)18No support for Hardik?After MI’s recent loss to CSK, former Indian cricketer-turned-expert Manoj Tiwary said that Hardik looks alone on the field as he is not getting support from other players, reigniting the debate of whether all is good within MI’s camp or not.While there is still no confirmed news of any rift between players so far, Hardik’s body language and constant urge for players to step up in the post-match press conference signify that even if all is good within the side, the skipper is definitely frustrated with his team’s performances.Rohit vs Hardik captaincy in numbersWhile Hardik still holds five years less experience in IPL captaincy than Rohit Sharma, his start in the captaincy role was almost similar to Rohit.Rohit, in his first two seasons as full-time captain, helped his team win the title once (in the first season) and took them to the playoffs in the second season, while similarly Hardik also led his team to the title in his captaincy debut and took them to the playoffs in the second season.However, things start to change when we compare their numbers as captain in MI’s jersey. Hardik so far has captained MI in 38 matches, out of which he has won 16 games and lost 22 matches. On the other hand, Rohit in his first 38 games as MI skipper had exactly opposite numbers, as he won 22 games and lost 16.In terms of team results, Hardik in his first three seasons in Mumbai as captain has reached the playoffs once, while Rohit in his first three seasons reached the playoffs on all three occasions and went on to win the title twice.Rohit vs Hardik as captainFirst five seasons as captainPlayerMatchesWinsLossesWin %TitlesPlayoff FinishesGroup Stage ExitsRohit Sharma75462961.3%341Hardik Pandya69*383155.1%121*First three seasons in MIPlayerMatchesWinsLossesWin %TitlesPlayoff FinishesGroup Stage ExitsRohit Sharma44271761.36230Hardik Pandya38*162242.1%011*Can MI still turn their fate in IPL 2026?Mumbai have lost seven games already and can reach a maximum of 14 points if they win all their remaining five games in IPL 2026. However, they will still not just need to win those games by big margins, but they also have to hope that at least six of the other nine teams lose seven games, as only then can they reach the playoffs on the basis of net run rate.Bigger pictureThe bigger question now is what lies ahead for the Mumbai Indians. This season does not feel like a mere dip in form, but rather a sign of a deeper structural shift within the franchise.Once known for their stability and sustained dominance, MI now appear to be a side in transition, struggling to bridge the gap between a successful past and an uncertain future. At the heart of this transition is Hardik Pandya, whose leadership is under increasing scrutiny.The conversation is no longer just about whether MI can still qualify for the playoffs this season; it has moved to a far more significant question: whether Hardik is the right leader to rebuild the next great Mumbai Indians side, or if this leadership experiment is already beginning to show cracks.Check IPL 2026 latest news and statistical video highlights of the day hereCheck IPL 2026 full schedule hereCheck IPL 2026 points table here