Ravichandran Ashwin 'Shocked' By Five-Time IPL Champions' Downfall: "How Is This Possible"

Mumbai Indians are not yet out of IPL 2026, but in all probability, they won't be able to enter the playoffs. After six losses in eight games, with the latest one coming against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, the Hardik Pandya-led team need to win their remaining six games to stay in playoff contention. Even then, they might have to depend on other teams' results. Past trends have shown that if a team has 16 points, they have a decent chance to enter the IPL playoffs. To reach that mark, MI face a must-win situation.

India great and former IPL star Ravichandran Ashwin, however, is not confident.

"I'm shocked by how Mumbai played this season. My mind isn't processing how this is even possible. But honestly, watching Mumbai Indians, I actually feel sorry for them. They were my favourite team before the tournament, but I've had this feeling many times that it's their game. Mumbai Indians will come back. It did not happen," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

When asked if MI can win six out of six matches, Ashwin replied: "I don't think so. I will tell you why. They gave away 220 against KKR. No other team gave away that many runs against KKR. Against no other team has KKR been able to score so much. They are also not able to chase big scores like 230-240. They could not chase 208 against CSK. If there is a change in the wicket, their batting order struggles. If the wicket is flat, their bowling struggles."

Hardik Pandya, captain of the Mumbai Indians, said the team fell short collectively of the standards the franchise represents after their six-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), despite scoring 243 in the first innings in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

Mumbai Indians, on the back of a powerful 55-ball unbeaten 123-run knock from Ryan Rickelton, scored 243/5 in 20 overs after electing to bat first. However, SRH, with contributions from Travis Head (76 off 30 balls), Heinrich Klaasen (65* off 30 balls), Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24 balls), and Salil Arora (30* off 10 balls), chased down the massive total with eight balls remaining.

The loss marked their sixth defeat in eight matches of IPL 2026 so far.

After the match, Hardik Pandya admitted the team hasn't performed to the standards of Mumbai Indians, stressing the need to identify areas for improvement while remaining confident that the team will find solutions with the support of its management and staff. 

With ANI inputs 

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Topics mentioned in this article

Mumbai Indians Sunrisers Hyderabad Ravichandran Ashwin IPL 2026 Hardik Pandya Cricket