Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians have endured a horrendous time during the 2026 edition of the T20 competition. Mumbai managed only four victories in 14 league-stage matches and were one of the first teams to get knocked out of the playoff race.
Mumbai's on-field displays have enraged fans and experts alike and one prominent person who is baffled by their performance is former Indian cricketer R. Ashwin.
MI's disappointing campaign came to an end with a crushing 30-run loss at the hands of Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. In a season when several 200+ targets have been chased down with ease, MI were restricted to 175/9 in a run-chase of 206.
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They failed to chase down the target despite being 149/5 in the 16th over with captain Hardik Pandya and his deputy Suryakumar Yadav batting in the middle. Mumbai's strange approach to the target surprised Ashwin who lambasted the team.
"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 while analysing the game.
The former Chennai Super Kings player was also heavily critical of Hardik for his captaincy all through the season.
"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," he added.
"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."
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Ashwin, who previously played for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals in the IPL, also took a swipe at Jasprit Bumrah. Renowned for his remarkable consistency with the ball, Bumrah managed just four wickets this season at an astonishingly poor average of 102.5. It was his poorest wicket tally in an IPL campaign since 2015, when he picked up only three wickets.
"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..." Ashwin added.
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