Mumbai, April 23 (IANS) Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has pointed to the absence of veteran opener Rohit Sharma as a key reason behind the struggles of the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, following their heavy 103-run defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
Mumbai Indians’ most successful captain and opener Rohit Sharma suffered a hamstring injury sustained against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The injury forced him to retire hurt, leading to him missing matches against the Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings. “They have certainly missed Rohit Sharma. Without strong starts, chasing totals in the 210–220 range becomes very difficult,” Chopra told Jio Hotstar.
He further noted that key senior batters, including India’s T20 World Cup champions Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, have failed to deliver consistently. “Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya haven’t contributed enough so far. While there have been positives like Tilak Varma’s hundred, the rest of the batting unit needs to step up,” he said.
Suryakumar has managed just 157 runs in the seven matches he has played for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026 season at an average of 22.43 and a strike rate of 142.72. He has only one half-century to his name in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament, scoring 51 runs against the Delhi Capitals. He has just hit four sixes in the ongoing IPL season so far, along with 17 boundaries.
While Hardik Pandya has had a challenging IPL 2026 season for the Mumbai Indians, scoring 97 runs in six matches at an average of 19.00. His scores include 1, 15, 14, 40, 9, and 18 not out, with a total strike rate of 140.58.
MI, chasing a massive 208, were bundled out for just 104 as CSK’s bowling attack dominated. Akeal Hosein led the charge with four wickets, while Noor Ahmad and others ensured regular breakthroughs.
Chopra also raised concerns about MI’s bowling performance and feels that Bumrah needs support from others to stop the run flow and take wickets. “On the bowling side, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, most bowlers have been leaking runs. Allah Ghazanfar has been consistent but needs better support from the rest.”
With this loss, the Mumbai Indians have moved down to the eighth position with just four points in seven matches. They will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 29 at the same venue in a must-win encounter.
–IANS
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