IPL final predictions – Virat Kohli v Kagiso Rabada and other key battles

After 73 games we have reached the final of IPL 2026, and fittingly it’s the two sides that finished top of the table who will face each other in front of a sold-out Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night.

Curiously the final will be the fourth meeting this season between the two sides, so it is fair to say that they know each other well now.

The spoils were shared 1-1 in the pool phase of the competition before RCB delivered GT a sound beating in Qualifier 1. Since then, GT have levelled up their confidence after completing their highest successful chase on Friday.

It’s the defending champions playing at the home of a side who have made three of the last four finals. Sunday is shaping up to be a final for the ages.

IPL final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans

Key talking points

RCB

Defending champions RCB enter Sunday’s showcase with excellent momentum but a heavily reshuffled top order.

Following a tournament-ending injury to opener Phil Salt, all eyes shift to the legendary Virat Kohli, who must anchor the innings alongside Venkatesh Iyer.

Backed by the blistering form of Rajat Patidar and seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, RCB’s biggest statistical anomaly is their undefeated record in playoff matches over the last two seasons when defending totals above 180.

GT

The Titans have proven their resilience by bouncing back from a heavy Qualifier 1 defeat to peak at the absolute perfect moment.

Skipper Shubman Gill leads from the front, boasting an astonishing 1,310 career runs at this specific Ahmedabad venue.

Alongside the firing Sai Sudharsan and ace quick Kagiso Rabada, GT’s core is purring. Intriguingly, statistical records show GT wins 78% of matches at this ground when chasing under heavy evening dew, making the toss a massive factor.

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is the world’s largest cricket stadium, boasting a massive seating capacity of 132 000 spectators.

Functioning as the primary fortress for the Gujarat Titans, the venue features both red and black soil pitches that can alter playing conditions drastically. Expect the stadium to be packed for the final.

Captains drastically prefer to bowl first and chase at this venue.

Heavy evening dew frequently settles on the outfield during night matches, making the ball exceptionally difficult for bowlers to grip and allowing batsmen to line up shots with ease during the second innings.

The historical first innings average sits right around 175 runs.

However, the ground is highly pitch-dependent; black soil offers an even bounce that pushes par scores past 190, while red soil pitches assist spin and can produce sluggish, low-scoring games.

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill dominates this venue, leading all players with 1 310 runs scored and counting.

His sensational run tally includes a venue-best individual score of 129 runs smashed during a high-stakes playoff match. He is followed closely by teammate Sai Sudharsan with 1 187 runs.

Local veteran Mohit Sharma and spin wizard Rashid Khan share the peak spot for the most wickets at the stadium, deadlocked at 29 scalps each.

Mohit Sharma holds the single-game record at the venue with his blistering career-best spell of 5/10 against the Mumbai Indians.

The highest successful chase recorded in the stadium’s IPL history is 205 runs, completed by the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Gujarat Titans.

The legendary match concluded with Rinku Singh pulling off an impossible feat, smashing five consecutive sixes in the final over to seal the win.

The lowest score successfully defended in a full 20-over IPL match at this ground is 130 runs.

The Delhi Capitals successfully restricted the Gujarat Titans to 125/6 in a low-scoring thriller, proving that the pitch can become a minefield if the ball grips.

The ground features an extreme scoring variance.

While it has hosted massive 230-plus batting exhibitions, the absolute lowest team total recorded at the stadium is 86 runs, when the Sunrisers Hyderabad were skittled out by the Gujarat Titans.

Also read: Biggest IPL blowouts ever – the most dominant wins in history

Weather

This Sunday evening in Ahmedabad, expect sweltering and humid conditions as afternoon heat lingers. Temperatures will hover around 37 degrees, though high humidity will make it feel closer to 42.

Skies will remain clear to partly cloudy, with no threat of rain. A gentle breeze from the west will offer little relief for spectators.

Form

• RCB: W, L, W, W, W
• GT: W, L, W, L, W

Predicted line-ups

RCB

Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar.

GT

Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Jason Holder, Nishant Sindhu, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna.

Key players

Virat Kohli

The Indian veteran is RCB’s ultimate trump card for Sunday’s final.

With Phil Salt sidelined by injury, the legendary batsman bears the immense responsibility of anchoring and accelerating the innings right from the powerplay – it’s a good thing for RCB that Kohli is a man who thrives on the big occasion.

Kohli’s unrivalled BMT, flawless chasing pedigree, and vast experience under extreme playoff pressure make him the absolute linchpin. If RCB is to lift the coveted trophy, they will need Kohli to deliver a vintage, masterclass performance.

Shubman Gill

India’s Test and ODI skipper and the heir apparent to Kohli, Gill has been in outstanding form all season.

He stroked a marvellous century in Qualifier Two, to steer his side to victory and he heads into the final second on the Orange Cap rankings with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the only player ahead of him.

Gill is averaging 48.13 this season and he heads into the final with one century and six half tons from 15 innings, his runs coming at a strike-rate of 163.71.

Prediction: Gujarat Titans

This is not an easy one to call but home ground advantage will count for a lot. RCB were sensational against GT in Qualifier One, handing out a genuine hiding, but it is hard to see that gulf unfolding for two games in a row.

GT’s bowling unit is very strong and that should ultimately prove to be the difference.

Read next: The next big thing? Five uncapped IPL stars set to dominate in the future

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4 IPL superstars who won the orange or purple cap but missed the playoffs

Winning the Orange Cap (most tournament runs) or the Purple Cap (most tournament wickets) is considered the pinnacle of individual success in the Indian Premier League.

It highlights a player who has completely outclassed every other competitor over a gruelling two-month season. Yet, cricket remains a team sport.

On several occasions, a superstar has carried their franchise on their back, rewriting record books, while the rest of the squad collapsed around them.

These one-man army campaigns often result in an individual standing on the podium holding a prestigious cap, despite their team languishing near the bottom of the points table. Here are six times a player won an IPL cap but failed to reach the playoffs.

1. Chris Gayle – Royal Challengers Bangalore (2012)

• The Cap: Orange Cap (733 runs)
• Team Finish: 5th place (Missed Playoffs)

The Universe Boss from West Indies was at the absolute peak of his destructive powers during the 2012 season. Opening the batting for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Gayle smashed 733 runs at a staggering strike rate of 160.74, including seven fifties and a hundred.

Despite his historic aerial assault, RCB’s bowling unit repeatedly failed to defend massive totals. The team tied on points with Chennai Super Kings but was brutally eliminated from the playoff spots due to an inferior net run rate.

2. Andrew Tye – Kings XI Punjab (2018)

• The Cap: Purple Cap (24 wickets)
• Team Finish: 7th place (Missed Playoffs)

Australia variations specialist Andrew Tye had a historic individual season with Kings XI Punjab in 2018. Tye claimed a staggering three four-wicket hauls over the course of the tournament, repeatedly saving his side during the death overs.

However, Punjab suffered a catastrophic second-half collapse. After winning five of their first six games, the team’s middle-order batting completely disintegrated, winning just one more match and leaving Tye to collect his cap from the second-to-last spot on the table.

Also read: Biggest IPL blowouts ever – the most dominant wins in history

3. Harshal Patel – Punjab Kings (2024)

• The Cap: Purple Cap (24 wickets)
• Team Finish: 9th place (Missed Playoffs)

Harshal Patel created history by becoming the first bowler to win the Purple Cap for two completely different franchises. Moving to the Punjab Kings in 2024, his masterclass of slower balls and dipping yorkers earned him 24 scalps.

Unfortunately, Punjab’s familiar curse struck again. Plagued by top-order collapses and an inability to close out tight matches, the franchise finished second from bottom, rendering Harshal’s individual brilliance an afterthought in a lost season.

4. Sai Sudharsan – Gujarat Titans (2025)

• The Cap: Orange Cap (759 runs)
• Team Finish: 6th place (Missed Playoffs)

The IPL 2025 season witnessed the magnificent rise of Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan. The young left-hander displayed unbelievable consistency, scoring a monumental 759 runs with six half-centuries and a brilliant hundred.

He consistently anchored the innings while superstar teammates struggled for rhythm around him.

Despite holding off immense pressure from Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav to win the crown, Sudharsan’s individual masterclass wasn’t enough to drag a misfiring Gujarat side into the top four playoff spots.

Read next: The next big thing? Five uncapped IPL stars set to dominate in the future

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7 superstars who never played an IPL match (even though they could have)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the ultimate melting pot of global cricket talent. For nearly two decades, the tournament has attracted the world’s most elite short-format explosive stars.

However, an elite group of modern cricket icons has never walked out onto the pitch for an IPL match – even though they were available and playing elsewhere.

Whether due to geopolitical borders, timing, auction snubs, or a strict devotion to Test cricket, several legends are entirely missing from the competition’s storied database.

Here are seven superstars who never featured as a player in a single IPL game.

1. Brian Lara

The legendary West Indian left-hander was already near the end of his career when the IPL launched in 2008.

While contemporaries like Sanath Jayasuriya and Sourav Ganguly featured heavily in the early years, Lara opted out of the inaugural auction. He made a surprise entry into the 2011 draft at age 41, but franchises passed on the master batter.

He later influenced the tournament from the dugout, serving as the head coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

2. Babar Azam

As one of the world’s premier all-format batters, Pakistan’s Babar Azam would naturally have triggered massive bidding wars when he was in his pomp. However, due to political tensions, Pakistani players have been excluded from the IPL since the conclusion of the 2008 season.

Consequently, the former Pakistan captain has spent his peak years lighting up the Pakistan Super League (PSL) rather than showcasing his cover drives in front of packed Indian crowds.

3. Shaheen Shah Afridi

Much like his compatriot Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi is an elite T20 asset who has never had the chance to play in the IPL. His terrifying opening spells, sharp left-arm angle, and pinpoint death-over yorkers make him a prototype bowler for high-scoring Indian venues.

The tournament has missed out on seeing how modern opening batters would handle his ferocious first-over spells under the stadium lights.

Also read: Biggest IPL blowouts ever – the most dominant wins in history

4. Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad was an accomplished short-format bowler in his younger years and even captained England’s T20 international side. Despite his international profile, he never made an appearance in the IPL.

Broad prioritised his longevity in England‘s Test match setup, frequently using the April and May window to rest his body or prepare for the gruelling English summer alongside his longtime bowling partner.

5. James Anderson

England’s record-breaking fast bowler James Anderson represents a complete anomaly in modern cricket. He is arguably the greatest swing bowler of his generation but never played a single domestic T20 match outside of England.

Anderson focused entirely on red-ball durability, leaving the IPL out of his schedule to protect his body for a historic international career that spanned over two decades.

6. Nathan Lyon

While Australian spinners like Shane Warne and Adam Zampa found major franchise success, Nathan Lyon remains an elusive figure to Indian fans.

“The GOAT” has over 500 Test wickets and possesses an incredible off-spin template, but he has rarely been viewed by selectors as a primary T20 draft option.

Lyon has remained a fixture for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League but has never attracted a bid at the IPL auction block.

7. Marnus Labuschagne

Australia’s eccentric top-order batter has publicly stated his desire to experience the IPL atmosphere on multiple occasions. Labuschagne entered the player auction pools in 2021 and 2022, looking to prove his adaptability ahead of global tournaments.

However, franchises viewed him strictly as a red-ball specialist, and he ultimately went unsold. He later described the snub as a “blessing in disguise” to focus on state and international commitments, but has since starred in the Pakistan Super League.

Read next: The next big thing? Five uncapped IPL stars set to dominate in the future

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From net bowlers to frontline stars – 6 IPL stars who came up the hard way

The Indian Premier League has long been a factory for rags-to-riches stories, but the 2026 season has taken this narrative to new heights.

In an era where data-driven scouting is king, there is still no substitute for the raw, unscripted drama of a net bowler getting their big break.

These are the players who arrived at training camps with no contract and no guarantee of game time, only to be handed a jersey and asked to save a match.

From speedsters clocking over 150 kph to spinners out foxing legends, here are six players who have transitioned from the shadows of the practice nets to the blinding lights of the IPL 2026 spotlight.

1. Ashok Sharma (Gujarat Titans)

The ultimate fairy tale of 2026 belongs to Ashok Sharma. A son of a farmer from Rampura, Rajasthan, Ashok was a net bowler for RR and KKR without ever making the playing XI. His brother even gave up his own cricket dreams so the family could afford Ashok’s training.

After a breakout domestic season, Gujarat Titans signed him for ₹90 lakh. He repaid that faith instantly by bowling a 154.2 kmph thunderbolt, the fastest ball of the 2026 season, proving that a former support player is now India’s newest pace monster.

2. Raghu Sharma (Mumbai Indians)

At 33, Raghu Sharma is a reminder that it’s never too late to make it.

Long considered a journeyman leg-spinner used primarily as a net bowler to prepare MI batters for wrist-spin challenges, he was officially drafted into the squad as an injury replacement for Vignesh Puthur in 2025.

In his debut against LSG, he claimed a crucial maiden wicket, becoming an overnight sensation for his persistence and old-school flighted deliveries that outclassed much younger international stars.

Also read: Biggest IPL blowouts ever – the most dominant wins in history

3. Eshan Malinga (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

While he has very much arrived now, Eshan Malinga’s journey to the top once involved a 4-hour daily bus commute in Sri Lanka just to bowl as a net bowler for the national team.

Picked up by SRH for the 2025 season, he has firmly established himself alongside skipper Pat Cummins as their leading wicket-taker in the death overs.

With 15 wickets to his name by May, he has transformed from a “replica” bowler used for practice into a frontline spearhead that even his namesake, Lasith Malinga, would be proud of.

4. Praful Hinge (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

A 24-year-old product of the MRF Pace Foundation, Praful Hinge spent time in the SRH nets before being fast-tracked into the main squad.

His moment of glory came when he executed a daring plan to dismiss teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with a first-ball bouncer earlier in the season.

Hinge’s ability to handle high-pressure scenarios has seen him win multiple “Player of the Match” awards, proving he’s no longer just a “support” arm.

5. Sakib Hussain (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Another SRH find, Sakib Hussain rose from extreme poverty to the IPL stage after impressing coaches as a net bowler during regional trials. On his debut, he delivered a devastating spell of 4/24, dismantling the opposition middle order.

His story is a classic IPL archetype: a player discovered in the dusty practice tracks of Ranchi who found himself taking wickets under the lights of a packed stadium just weeks later in India.

6. Harsh Dubey (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

While technically a domestic veteran for Vidarbha, Harsh Dubey was often overlooked by franchises until he served as a tactical net bowler for SRH.

Captain Ishan Kishan eventually handed him the new ball in the Powerplay, and Dubey responded by stifling some of the league’s most aggressive openers.

His transformation from a “practice spinner” to a genuine Impact Player has been one of the tactical highlights of the 2026 season.

Read next: The 7 exciting teenage prodigies set to light up IPL 2026

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Fortress rankings: Rating key IPL 2026 venues by home-team advantage

In the high-octane world of the Indian Premier League, home advantage is often the thin line between a playoff spot and an early exit.

While the tournament returned to a full home-and-away format, the 2026 season has proven that some stadiums are far more hospitable to their tenants than others.

From the spinning dustbowls of the south to the high-altitude swing of the north, let’s rank the major IPL 2026 venues by how effectively they serve as a fortress for the home side.

1. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Chepauk)

• Tenant: Chennai Super Kings
• Fortress Rating: 10/10

Chepauk remains the gold standard of IPL fortresses. Despite Josh Hazlewood’s recent ranking placing it last due to the heat, for CSK, it is a sanctuary. Historically, the Yellow Army has won over 66 percent of their matches here.

In 2026, the pitch has maintained its signature slow, gripping nature, perfectly suited for Noor Ahmed and CSK’s veteran spin-hitters.

While chasing has become easier, highlighted by Punjab Kings’ record 210-run chase, the tactical knowledge CSK possesses of these conditions makes it the hardest place in India for a visiting team to secure two points.

Also read: Revealed – The five biggest disappointments of this year’s IPL so far

2. M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

• Tenant: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
• Fortress Rating: 9/10

In 2026, the Chinnaswamy has finally become the fortress RCB fans always dreamed of. Historically a graveyard for bowlers, RCB has adapted by building an aggression-first identity that thrives on the short boundaries.

They have won 80 percent of their home games thus far this season. The thin air and fast outfield play perfectly into the hands of Virat Kohli and Will Jacks, while their bowling unit has finally mastered the art of the defensive yorker at the death.

It is currently the most intimidating atmosphere for any visiting bowling attack.

3. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

• Tenant: Gujarat Titans
• Fortress Rating: 8/10

The world’s largest cricket stadium is a fortress of a different kind – one built on tactical balance. The Narendra Modi Stadium offers a unique dual-pitch nature where one square might favour pacers while another assists spinners.

Gujarat Titans have used this to perfection, winning 14 of their 26 total matches at the venue. However, the rise in chasing success (winning over 51 percent of games) has slightly dented its unbeatable status.

It remains a venue where home-team knowledge of the shifting dew factor is a massive advantage.

4. HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala

• Tenant: Punjab Kings
• Fortress Rating: 7/10

While it is PBKS’s second home, the high altitude of Dharamsala provides a psychological and physical edge. The ball swings significantly more in the cool mountain air, a factor that visiting batters from the plains often struggle to calculate.

PBKS has capitalised on this by fielding a pace-heavy attack that thrives in these 1,317-metre conditions. Statistically, it is one of the few venues where batting first (64.3percent win rate) is a winning formula, allowing the home side to dictate terms.

5. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

• Tenant: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
• Fortress Rating: 6/10

Eden Gardens has lost some of its “mystery” in 2026. Once a spin-bowling haven, the recent shift toward flatter, high-scoring tracks has neutralised KKR’s home advantage in T20 cricket.

While the crowd remains the most vocal in the league, visiting teams have found it easier to chase down 200-plus totals on the lightning-fast outfield.

KKR’s reliance on Varun Chakravarthy still makes it a difficult place to visit, but it no longer carries the “unplayable” aura of the early 2010s.

Read next: The next big thing? Five uncapped IPL stars set to dominate in the future

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Who will finish in IPL’s top 4? 7 teams competing for 3 play-off places

There are just seven games to go before the end of the pool phase of the IPL.

Thereafter it’s into the playoffs and downhill to the final. Even though 62 out of 70 pool games have been played, only one team has qualified for the play-offs and only two are out of the running.

That means that seven teams are still vying for three places in post-season. Let’s take a look to assess their chances and see who is most likely to finish where.

The solitary team currently breathing easy is Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Sitting comfortably at the top with 18 points from 13 games, their clinical 23-run dismantling of the Punjab Kings officially secured their playoff ticket.

Backed by an imposing +1.065 Net Run Rate (NRR) and spearheaded by Virat Kohli’s reliable bat, RCB are all but guaranteed to wrap up the league phase exactly where they are right now: in 1st place.

Behind them, the Gujarat Titans look almost as secure in second place. With 16 points and an impressive run of four wins in their last five matches, their top two ambitions rest heavily on the orange-cap-chasing duarchy of Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill.

Barring a catastrophic mathematical collapse in their final fixture, Gujarat’s consistency should carry them through with a crucial qualifier safety net.

Also read: Revealed – The five biggest disappointments of this year’s IPL so far

The real intrigue begins in the race for the remaining two postseason spots. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) currently hold the wildcard advantage in 3rd place.

Crucially, they possess a game in hand over most of the chasing pack, sitting on 14 points from 12 matches with a robust +0.331 NRR. Heinrich Klaasen’s explosive middle-order hitting has given them a fear factor that few can match.

If they secure even a single win from their remaining double-header, the Sunrisers will lock down their spot. Expect them to absorb the pressure and comfortably finish in third.

That leaves an absolute dogfight for the final playoff berth, the coveted 4th place.

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) currently sit in that spot on paper with 13 points, but they are a side in freefall. Reeling from an excruciating six-match losing streak, they have played 13 games and have completely lost control of their own destiny. They are the ultimate sitting ducks.

Waiting to overtake them are three teams deadlocked on 12 points: Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Delhi Capitals (DC).

Delhi can effectively be discounted; they have played 13 matches and suffer from a horrific -0.871 NRR that will choke out their postseason aspirations.

Therefore, the final spot will come down to a straight sprint between two heavyweight franchises: CSK and the Rajasthan Royals. Both have identical 6–6 records and sit on parallel +0.027 NRRs.

However, momentum is a cruel master. Rajasthan are stumbling backward after a recent loss to Delhi. Meanwhile, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings possess the ultimate championship DNA required for a late-season crunch in India.

Backed by home comforts and a balanced bowling unit featuring breakout star Anshul Kamboj, CSK are primed to peak at the perfect moment. They are heavily tipped to snatch fourth place away from the fading Kings and edge out Rajasthan on NRR.

As for the rest, the Kolkata Knight Riders retain a mathematical whisper on 11 points, but it would require an improbable matrix of external results to save them.

At the absolute bottom of the ladder, the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are already packing their bags, officially eliminated after disastrous, disjointed campaigns.

The table is set, the margins are razor-thin, and the final eight matches promise absolute theatre.

Read next: The next big thing? Five uncapped IPL stars set to dominate in the future

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The blue blueprint fails: Why Mumbai Indians unravelled in IPL 2026

The much-vaunted Mumbai Indians have been eliminated from IPL title contention this season.

It has been a desperate campaign for the Wankhede-based team who have managed just three wins all season.

For a side that boasts the cream of Indian talent, including Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma – not to mention some of the best T20 players from around the world, it has been a fraught season.

It was a season that promised much but which has delivered very little. Let’s look at where it all went wrong.

The primary catalyst for this collapse was a catastrophic failure of the senior core. Jasprit Bumrah, typically the most feared paceman in the world, went wicketless in the first five matches.

By the time he found some sort of rhythm, the season was already slipping away. Similarly, Suryakumar Yadav, who just twelve months ago was the Indian Premier League‘s Most Valuable Player, looked a shadow of himself, averaging a dismal 17.73.

When your two most impactful match-winners fail to fire, the structural integrity of the team dissolves.

Tactical confusion under Hardik Pandya’s leadership further exacerbated these on-field struggles.

The decision to hand the final over in a must-win game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to rookie Raj Angad Bawa, who had never bowled in the IPL before, perfectly encapsulated a season of questionable decision-making.

Although to be fair that decision was made by Suryakumar and not Hardik, as the regular skipper missed out injured.

Also read: Revealed – The five biggest disappointments of this year’s IPL so far

Critics and fans alike noted a distinct lack of unity, with many pointing to a ‘lobby culture’ and a failure to truly rally behind Pandya as captain following the transition from Rohit Sharma in India.

There have been other issues, which we will touch on shortly, but the leadership transition and balance within the changeroom have been critical.

Rumours around the team suggest that there are factions within the dressing room with some veteran players and support staff still more aligned with the former leadership, creating an environment where the team isn’t fully united behind the current captain.

Added to that is the fact that there are too many leaders. Analysts have noted that the dressing room has become “crowded with opinions,” with senior players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah all being alphas and natural leaders.

While this can undoubtedly be a strength for a team, it can very quickly become a weakness if alignment is missing which is the case here with a lack of tactical clarity showing on the field, as different lobbies, or groups within the team, bring their conflicting views on strategy.

Injuries also played a cruel hand. Rohit Sharma’s mid-season hamstring injury forced him out for six consecutive games, depriving the top order of its most experienced anchor.

While uncapped Naman Dhir emerged as a rare bright spot at the top of the order, he lacked the support to sustain MI’s aggressive powerplay ambitions.

The team’s inability to adapt to the league’s evolving all-out attack template meant they were often playing catch-up, appearing stuck in an outdated 2020 tactical framework while the rest of the league surged ahead.

Ultimately, Mumbai Indians’ 2026 campaign was a story of a giant that forgot how to walk.

Over-reliance on an aging core, a lack of successful youth scouting, once the franchise’s USP, and a complete breakdown in death-over execution left them languishing at the bottom of the table.

For a five-time champion, finishing among the bottom two for the third time since 2021 is not just a dip in form; it is a full-blown identity crisis that will require difficult calls in the upcoming mini-auction.

Read next: The next big thing? Five uncapped IPL stars set to dominate in the future

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