5-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) continues to struggle in IPL 2026 as they suffered another loss this season. This is their 7th defeat in 9 games and are languishing in 9th place in the points table. This is also for the third time ever that MI has lost to CSK twice in a season. The Men In Yellow completed a rare double over MI and the first since 2023. So, a great night for CSK in Chennai as they complete the double over their greatest rivals. But for MI, a lot of things are going wrong. We will try and decipher the reasons why MI lost to CSK last night.
Losing momentum while batting post power play completely derailed their chances
MI captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bat first on a slightly tacky surface in Chennai knowing CSK’s vulnerability while chasing a sizeable total. CSK started well as Will Jacks was removed within 7 balls of the match. Thereafter, Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dhir forged an important partnership and upped the ante in the power play overs. They counter-attacked and did well to lay the platform for a big total.
Naman and Rickelton looked the most fluent of the batters out there. They made sure MI reach 57/1 in the power play. But things turned in the middle phase and the death overs. Naman was dropped on 19 by Shivam Dube but Ryan fell for 37 off 24 balls to Noor. Suryakumar Yadav came in and got a start as he forged an important stand with Naman. MI were 90/2 in 10 overs and the score was 99 in the 11th over when Surya was dismissed by Ramakrishna Ghosh. Post Surya’s dismissal, the innings lost a lot of steam. While Naman continued the fight, it was a struggle at the other end.
Tilak struggled and failed while Hardik Pandya the captain just did not get going and played a strange innings of 18 off 23 balls. Robin Minz could not do anything and there is only so much Bhagat and Boult can do. To put things into perspective, MI mustered 63 runs in overs 7-15 for the loss of 3 wickets and then 39/3 in the back 5 overs. So, post power play, MI scored 102 runs in 14 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. Last 10 overs, it was 69/5. Credit to CSK’s Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, and Jamie Overton for their stellar show, but these returns are worrying for MI for sure.
The tournament with this loss is all but over for MI as they can now reach a maximum of 14 points should they win their remaining games from here. 14 may not be enough either. So, their season is done for all practical purposes. They need to find a way to solve this issue of deceleration post the power play. Yes, the pitch was tacky but to get only 160 on a pitch where 180-190 was match winning and MI had wickets in hand was disappointing. CSK is a decent bowling side but not too threatening. Loads of concerns for MI for sure with more questions than answers.
Inability to get a single wicket post power play while defending the score hurt MI
MI had to defend a score of 159 on the board. It was a below par score and something they could defend if they get early and regular wickets. Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Sanju Samson early in the second over of the chase. Thereafter, Urvil Patel came in and played his shots while Ruturaj Gaikwad was playing his game as both looked fluent out in the middle. The duo added 49 runs inside the power play as CSK could get to 62 inside the power play. In the last over of power play, Urvil gave his wicket away to Allah Ghazanfar as CSK were 62/2 in 6 overs needing 98 runs off 84 balls.
It is post the power play that CSK took full control of the proceedings while MI struggled and were unable to get wickets. The required rate was not an issue for CSK and they milked the bowling and played sensible cricket to get the job done quite easily. But what was concerning was the lack of effectiveness from the MI bowlers while bowling as they created 0 chances and the duo of Gaikwad and Kartik Sharma did not even feel threatened. They got the job done without breaking a sweat.
MI also made errors in the field placements, and the usage of bowlers like Krish Bhagat in the power play that shifted the momentum. It was a dominant display by CSK against a toothless MI with only Bumrah looking like taking a wicket but was not used for his full quota as MI were not aggressive enough. It was their batting that was the major issue for them in this game. But bowling could have done better and strategies also left a lot to be desired. MI would hope to get a win soon to at least feel confident about themselves.
Continuous underperformance of Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav & Tilak Varma adds to the woesÂ
The senior players of MI just haven’t shown up this season consistently if we are being brutally honest about it. While Rohit Sharma is out injured due to hamstring issues, the other three from batting point of view have been underwhelming. Yes, Bumrah can be included, but he had a good game last night and could have been utilised better. But there are elephants in the room that need addressing for MI to come out of this lean run of form.
The first player that needs attention is the captain himself Hardik Pandya. Pandya has been underwhelming to say the least. Yesterday, he came out to bat and scored 18 off 23 balls and cost MI the finish. He failed to finish the innings. With the ball, he came in late when the batters were set and failed to pick up a wicket. This season has been testing for him as with the bat he has managed to hit a total of 4 sixes in 84 balls and with the ball he is going at 12 runs an over. Hardik does not have a fifty either this season.
Suryakumar Yadav, the team’s Vice-captain has one fifty to his name that he scored against DC earlier in the season and barring that, he has failed. Last night, he got a start and looked signs of fluency. He scored 21 off 12 balls to get a start, but could not carry it on. For last night’s performance, we can give Surya the benefit of the doubt, but overall it has been disappointing. Surya showed some intent at least.
The other player to take note of is Tilak Varma. Tilak has largely underperformed this season barring the hundred he scored against GT in Ahmedabad where he turned into beast mode towards the end of the innings. But barring that, he has struggled to get going and went at run a ball and less than that. Last night, he came in when the platform was set but he struggled and fell for 5 off 8 balls to Noor.
With the senior players not performing consistently enough at that level, it has been a struggle for MI. They need to really pull their socks up and play to their potential if they want to return to winning ways. The season might be all but over, but they can still salvage self pride and the season as well.
What Lies Ahead
So, CSK with this win has moved to 6th in the points table. CSK will next face DC in Delhi on Tuesday, May 5th. While MI faces LSG in Mumbai on Monday, May 4th in a battle of 9th vs 10th. It’s a double header in IPL 2026 as SRH first takes on KKR in Hyderabad in the afternoon at 3:30 PM IST. This will be followed by GT hosting league leaders PBKS in Ahmedabad in the evening game at 7:30 PM IST.
So, double the action and drama expected on what is being billed as revenge week in IPL 2026 and Super Sunday promises to be a thriller.
Also Read: CSK vs MI: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Masterful Unbeaten Fifty Takes CSK To 6th In Points Table