Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Mumbai Indians’ problems in the IPL 2026 season have been amplified by the absence of Rohit Sharma, after the franchise suffered a heavy 103-run loss to Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma’s injury and MI’s shaky starts
Chopra highlighted that Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians’ most successful captain and one of their key openers, has been ruled out after a hamstring injury sustained during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
- Rohit was forced to retire hurt in the game versus RCB.
- His injury meant he missed matches against Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings.
- Chopra said MI have “certainly missed Rohit Sharma” and that without strong early momentum, chasing totals in the 210–220 range becomes extremely difficult.
Senior batting production under scrutiny
The former batter also pointed to inconsistency from several senior names, suggesting that MI’s batting unit has not been delivering with the regularity required at this stage of the tournament.
- Chopra said Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya “haven’t contributed enough so far”.
- He acknowledged a positive from Tilak Varma’s hundred, but argued the remainder of the batting group must step up.
Suryakumar Yadav’s IPL 2026 numbers
- In seven matches for Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar has scored 157 runs.
- His average stands at 22.43, with a strike rate of 142.72.
- He has one half-century in the 19th edition so far: 51 runs against Delhi Capitals.
- So far, he has struck only four sixes and 17 boundaries across the ongoing season.
Hardik Pandya’s season so far
- Hardik has made 97 runs in six IPL 2026 appearances for Mumbai Indians.
- His average is 19.00.
- His scores include 1, 15, 14, 40, 9, and 18 not out.
- His strike rate in the tournament is 140.58.
How CSK dismantled MI at Wankhede
Chopra’s comments came after Mumbai Indians were overwhelmed by CSK’s bowling in their chase of a sizeable target.
- MI were chasing 208 but were dismissed for 104.
- CSK’s bowling attack dominated throughout the innings.
- Akeal Hosein led the wicket-taking effort with four scalps.
- Noor Ahmad and other bowlers ensured MI faced regular setbacks.
Bowling concerns and the next must-win
Beyond batting, Chopra also raised issues with Mumbai Indians’ bowling, arguing that Jasprit Bumrah alone cannot be expected to control the game without support from the rest of the unit.
- He said that aside from Jasprit Bumrah, most of MI’s bowlers have been conceding too many runs.
- Chopra added that Allah Ghazanfar has been relatively consistent, but requires better backing from the other bowlers.
- He believes Bumrah needs additional help to slow the flow of runs and take wickets.
With this defeat, Mumbai Indians have dropped to eighth place, collecting just four points from seven matches. Their next assignment is against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 29 at the same venue, in what Chopra described as a must-win situation.
