5-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered their 10th loss this season and narrowly avoided the wooden spoon while their opponents, Rajasthan Royals (RR) held their nerves and qualified for the playoffs. MI had control for most part in the first innings, but let it slip at the backend of the innings and then in the chase lost the plot in the power play. They still tried to make a comeback but fell away in the final hurdle. A lot has gone wrong for MI this season and yesterday and we will try to decipher them for you here.
Conceding 30 runs in the final two overs shifted the momentum to the opposition
MI put RR into bat on a decent surface, albeit a little slower. They made RR work hard for runs and kept a stranglehold of proceedings for most parts of the first innings. Whenever RR wanted to break free, MI hit back with wickets and there was no real momentum in the batting innings. Yes, they maintained a run rate of over 9, but were losing wickets. So much so, that Jofra Archer came up the order and played a useful contribution with the bat.
RR used Ravindra Jadeja as the Impact Sub player with about 14 balls left. But MI had RR down at 175/8 in 18 overs with Jadeja and Nandre Burger at the crease. With a team 8 down, few would have expected RR to manage 200+ from there. But MI’s death bowling woes, which have been one of the concerns throughout the season came back to haunt them yet again. Jadeja played his part and scored an unbeaten 19 off 11 balls while Nandre Burger scored a 3-ball 10 as 30 runs was achieved in the back two overs and momentum with the batting side into the break.
MI needs to look at where they went wrong with regards to death bowling, as this was not the first match; they conceded so many runs. They had done so in previous games as well. They need to go back to the drawing board, look in the mirror, and see how they can come back in the next season and what reinforcements they need to make come the next IPL. In a game of inches, even two overs can make a difference, and MI found that out the hard way.
Losing 4 wickets inside the power play set MI on the back foot in the chase
Chasing 206 for the win, which was gettable in Mumbai, MI needed a solid start at the top. They would have at least hoped for it. But what they got was the total polar opposite. Jofra Archer bowled a fiery opening spell as he removed Rohit Sharma for a 4-ball duck and then Naman Dhir for 6 off 5 balls by knocking him over. Thereafter, Nandre Burger knocked over Ryan Rickelton for 12 off 7 balls while Brijesh Sharma too removed Tilak Varma for 3.
MI were 4 down inside the power play and on the back foot. Losing 3 or more wickets in the power play hampers the progress of any team. And this was MI, where the cream fell inside the power play. It put pressure and a lot of catching up to do for the Men in Blue. Credit to RR for creating these balls and putting MI under pressure. But MI just did not have the answers as lack of application costs them big time. One can lose 2 wickets in power play in this massive chase, but to lose 4 means a bit of rebuilding has to be done.
MI needs to fix it’s top order woes in terms of consistency as they have blown hot and cold this season. Whenever Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma clicked as a unit, the batting looked solid. Whenever that hasn’t happened, MI has genuinely struggled to score runs. This is an area that needs serious working to get better at for the 5-time champions.
Inability to finish games post the recovery hurts MI
Despite the wobbly start with 49/4 the score in power play, MI fought back well in the game through Suryakumar Yadav, who was playing a mature innings alongside Will Jacks. The Surya-Jacks partnership brought MI back in the game as the 63-run stand at a good time meant RR were feeling the heat now. Jacks fell. But Hardik Pandya, the captain, came in and was off the blocks quickly, smashing the RR bowlers for fun. For much of the time, it looked like Pandya’s day.
Surya too played his part as the duo of captain and vice-captain put on 48 runs in 25 balls, and MI suddenly became favourites with the required rate being around 10-10.50. But then the turning point happened, with the score reading 149 as Hardik fell to Jofra Archer for a quick 34 off 15 balls. This was the point when the game changed, as the required rate went up as well.
Corbin Bosch came and went quickly under pressure. Then came the hammer blow as the well-set Surya was dismissed for 60 and once that happened, RR knew they were almost there and crossed over the line. Deepak Chahar also fell but the equation that was looking achievable went upside down post the wicket of Pandya. MI were in good position, but once again failed to seize the key moments and finish things off for his side.
They need to go back and sit down, and talk about the issues plaguing them on/off the field. That is the only way by which they will find a solution. Blaming each other won’t help. There were lot of close moments in the match, and they failed to latch onto those key moments. One hopes they come back stronger with better plans and execution.
What Lies Ahead.Â
So, RR qualifies for the playoffs while MI bow out in 9th place. It’s time for the playoffs. Qualifier 1 is on Tuesday, 26th May, 2026 featuring RCB vs GT live from Dharamsala. The Eliminator is on Wednesday, 27th May, 2026 featuring SRH vs RR live from New Chandigarh. We are all set for the final week of IPL 2026 as Playoffs is around the corner.
Also Read: MI vs RR: Jofra Archer’s All-Round Display Helps RR Qualify For Playoffs.