Former India batter Aakash Chopra feels Mumbai Indians are battling an identity crisis in IPL 2026, with the franchise struggling to deliver the same level of control whether they are asked to bat first and set a target or chased themselves. Chopra pointed to a recent setback against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where Mumbai’s batting produced a huge score of 243/5, yet they still failed to hold on. SRH chased the target with comfort, turning what looked like a commanding total into a frustrating loss for the side. The defeat is another reminder of a pattern that has been troubling Mumbai: not only have they shown inconsistency in chasing, but even when they do post big numbers, closing out matches remains an issue.
Chopra suggested that the contrast between those outcomes has left the team unsure about what approach suits them best. He highlighted how, in one earlier game, Mumbai were dismissed for under 120 while chasing, which forced them to rethink their plan. Then, in the very next stretch of fixtures, they went the other way—batting first—and managed to compile 243. Yet, despite having Jasprit Bumrah available, they couldn’t stop SRH from completing the chase. In Chopra’s view, the swing from one failure to the next makes the decision-making within the team far more complicated than it should be.
“There will be a bit of an identity crisis, because the other day, when they were asked to chase, they couldn’t. They were actually bowled out under 120. That’s when they probably realised, ‘Maybe we’re not really good at chasing; our batting isn’t clicking. Let’s bat first.’ Then you put up 243 and still get it chased down in 18.4 overs with Jasprit Bumrah on your side. It’s hard to imagine a 240-plus score being reached that easily when you have a bowler of Bumrah’s calibre. So right now I don’t know whether they truly know which direction to go—can they score first or chase? In both scenarios, they’ve faltered,” Chopra said.
The Wankhede Stadium result also reinforced that Mumbai’s problems are not limited to batting or game-plan selection. Even with Bumrah in the attack, SRH’s aggressive top order took charge during the chase, underlining difficulties for Mumbai in defending totals. That has only deepened the pressure on their campaign, because every dropped point matters when playoff qualification is on the line. With the franchise continuing to search for the right balance across batting and bowling, and with the inability to finish matches proving to be a recurring theme, Mumbai’s path forward in IPL 2026 looks increasingly uncertain.
