Published: May 12, 2026 at 4:18 pm
Mumbai Indians, usually the slow starters, have not been able to script a winning turnaround in the second half of the TATA IPL 2026 so far and are now out of the tournament. Mumbai Indians play their next match against Punjab Kings on May 14, and their remaining contests will be only to salvage a sense of pride. Mumbai are in the ninth position in the 10-team table.
It may be the right time for Mumbai to give younger players a chance, says Gavaskar
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh says that Mumbai have been overreliant on pace ace Jasprit Bumrah. He reckons that the other bowlers not providing enough support to Bumrah has been a big cause of concern for Mumbai.
“Jasprit Bumrah is the kind of bowler who can change a match at any moment. But relying too heavily on him is not the right thing to do. I think the other bowlers in the side, like Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar and Hardik Pandya, are all low on confidence. The challenge in that camp is how to bring them back to the same level of confidence as the others,” Harbhajan said on JioStar’s TATA IPL: Out or Not Out.
Jasprit Bumrah is the kind of bowler who can change a match at any moment. But relying too heavily on him is not the right thing to do, says Harbhajan Singh
“Mumbai Indians have depended on Bumrah ever since he came into the side, but at the moment, they are relying on him far too heavily. Somebody else also needs to pick up wickets. Spinners, too, are a concern. I think the biggest weakness of this side is the lack of quality local spinners. There used to be some good Indian spinners in the past, but there is no one at this point, and that is a major gap in the squad,” he said.
The confidence is missing, says Harbhajan
On Mumbai’s body language, Harbhajan said: “The body language of Mumbai Indians, which also plays a big role, is something I have never seen like this before. I have been part of this team for nearly 10 years. Even when we were losing, like in the season where we lost five in a row, our body language was never flat, the will to fight back was always there.
“Right now, that confidence is missing. Somebody needs to lead the way and say, ‘Whatever has happened is in the past. How we change things from here will depend on how we react on the field.’ It starts with one person, someone who needs to step up as that leader and take the team forward,” he said.
There is a visible lack of confidence, especially in the middle order. If you don’t show intent and fearlessness in this batting line-up, then where will you show it? says Anil Kumble. Pic: BCCI
Unusual lack of fight from Mumbai, says Kumble
Former India captain Anil Kumble touched upon the unusual lack of fight from the MI side in TATA IPL 2026. “Jasprit Bumrah is the number one bowler, not just for Mumbai Indians, but for any team he plays for, and naturally, teams will depend on him. But when your bowlers are not doing well, then your second skill set, the batting, has to compensate a little, and that is not happening for Mumbai Indians. They are struggling in that department too,” said Kumble.
“There is a visible lack of confidence, especially in the middle order. If you don’t show intent and fearlessness in this batting line-up, then where will you show it? If any team can come back from a situation like this, it is them, they have done it in the past. But I think the manner of these losses is the major concern. Earlier, when they had slow starts to a season, they would still put up a fight and lose close games, but this time around, they are getting beaten comfortably, and that is worrying,” he said.
