Mumbai Indians have finished a lowly ninth in IPL 2026, their worst showing since 2009, and batting coach Kieron Pollard believes the disappointment needs measured reflection rather than knee-jerk judgement.
“It has been disappointing for all of us as Mumbai Indians,” he admitted after the seven-wicket defeat by Rajasthan Royals in their final group match. “I’m sure the fans and everyone would have felt the same and there’s no hiding from that. We weren’t good the entire tournament. We weren’t able to sort of string together wins and use the momentum when we got it.”
Key facts first
• Mumbai won only four of their 14 games, losing six on the trot at one stage.
• Hardik Pandya, restored as captain, managed just 270 runs at a strike-rate of 126 and collected nine wickets.
• Jasprit Bumrah – rested for the final fixture – finished with 12 wickets, his leanest IPL haul since debut.
• The five-time champions have now gone five seasons without lifting the trophy.
Pollard resisted the temptation to run through individual errors minutes after elimination. “Right now is not the time and place to talk about that [post mortem]. All these things will be sort of emotional decisions … Everyone needs that time and space to go, sit down, recollect, have a fair idea and assessment as to where it went wrong for us.” In short, the franchise plan a full debrief once emotions have cooled.
Hardik under scrutiny, but no scapegoats
Criticism of Pandya’s leadership has been loud on social media; R Ashwin said during commentary that “pinning the blame on Hardik is unfair”. Pollard echoed that view.
“And from a leadership perspective, Hardik, yes, it has not gone maybe as well as he would have wanted as an individual,” he noted. “But one thing you know is that we’d have tried each and everything to give him the best opportunity to lead the franchise and do well … no one is going to sit here and point fingers.”
Pandya himself spoke briefly on television, conceding he was “hurting” but vowing to “come back better”. Whether the owners persist with him as skipper will be part of the post-season review.
Selection talking point – resting Bumrah
Bumrah’s omission from the last match surprised many. Pollard explained the call: “We didn’t think that today would have been right for him to play. We had other guys on the bench. We have depth in our bowling. We have young guys. So trying something different, I don’t see anything wrong with that.” The management felt a fresh look at uncapped quick Mohsin Khan served the long-term interest, though the experiment failed to swing the result.
Retentions, releases and the longer view
Twelve months ago Mumbai reached the Qualifier. Pollard therefore defends most of the squad decisions taken last December. “If we go back 12 months, we finish third [fourth, in IPL 2025] … So that in itself justifies some of the changes that you would have made before. Now, finishing ninth, you’re not wanting to question it. I think that’s the inconsistencies that we need to sort of stay away from and understand strategically where we need to get better.”
He added: “Guys are going to sit back and actually think about what’s needed. It has been a while since we won the championship and that’s something that we have accepted as a team … So deep thinking is going to go into it.”
Analysis – what went wrong?
Results suggest three clear shortcomings:
1. Powerplay batting: Mumbai averaged only 39 runs in the first six overs, the lowest in the league.
2. Middle-overs bowling: without an in-form wrist-spinner, the side leaked 8.9 runs per over between overs 7-15.
3. Finishing skills: Tim David’s strike-rate stayed healthy but he faced only 105 balls all season.
Fixing any one of those areas could have swung close games; fixing two or more is the route back to contention. A mini-auction next February offers a chance to recruit an aggressive top-order left-hander and a specialist middle-overs spinner—gaps analysts inside the camp have noted for two years.
Looking ahead
Pollard’s message remains one of collective responsibility. “If this had happened, if we had done this, if we had done that, if we had played this one, if we had batted, it’s a bit of that,” he reflected. The next fortnight will be for honest conversations, not public blame. Only then will Mumbai know whether 2026 was a one-off stumble or the sign of deeper problems.
