"No Negative Chats": Mumbai Indians Star On Team's Early Exit From IPL 2026
Asked whether the constant change in leadership affected the team environment, Naman Dhir dismissed the suggestion.
Despite a disappointing IPL campaign marked by injuries, inconsistency, and three different captains, Mumbai Indians remain "one family", and the dressing room atmosphere was "never disturbing", top-order batter Naman Dhir said on Tuesday. Five-time champions MI are already out of playoff contention after managing just four wins from 12 matches, with injuries to key players further derailing their season.
"We have always had positive conversations in the team, never negative chats. We could not put together a collective effort consistently and that's where we lacked," Dhir said at the pre-match media interaction ahead of their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Wednesday.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya has missed the last three matches due to a back spasm after last playing against Chennai Super Kings on May 2.
In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah led the side, making it a season where MI had three captains.
Asked whether the constant change in leadership affected the team environment, Dhir dismissed the suggestion.
"Not at all disturbing. Like people from outside say the atmosphere has always been like we're one family. Whoever comes in as captain has different tactics and ideas, but it was never disturbing. I enjoyed playing under all of them," he said.
Pandya missed matches against Lucknow Super Giants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings, while Suryakumar sat out the Dharamsala game following the birth of his child, forcing Bumrah to captain the side.
Dhir said injuries to senior players significantly hurt MI's campaign.
"Rohit had a hamstring issue. Surya had to leave for paternity reasons. We missed them in crucial matches. Now Quinny (Quinton de Kock) is also ruled out. These are some of the reasons why we could not perform as per the expectations associated with Mumbai Indians. Injuries were definitely a big concern for us," he said.
Rohit featured in only seven of MI's 12 matches because of a hamstring injury, while De Kock was recently ruled out for the remainder of the season with a tendon injury in his left wrist sustained ahead of MI's home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Dhir further expressed his disappointment at failing to deliver for the franchise's supporters.
"We are really sad that we could not give the trophy to our fans. We play for them and whenever our team steps onto the ground, the aim is always to win. We will give our best in the remaining matches," he said.
Optional training ============ Meanwhile, MI's senior players -- Pandya, Rohit, Suryakumar and Bumrah -- skipped the match-eve training session after undergoing an extensive practice on Monday.
Providing an update on Pandya and Suryakumar, Dhir said: "Everybody practised and joined the team." PTI DDV TAP AH AH
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