In the NFL, teams near the foot of the standings sometimes get branded with the “Spoon Bowl” tag, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the unwanted wooden spoon. Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are not quite there yet, but the way both sides have been drifting suggests that scenario could become a real worry. Sitting ninth and 10th respectively, they are still in danger of slipping further away from the playoff picture, even if Lucknow technically has a mathematical route to qualify.
For Mumbai, the situation is especially tough. With just two wins from nine matches, they can still reach a maximum of 14 points. Historically, teams that make the playoffs usually finish on 16 points, which means MI’s margin for error is effectively running out. Time may indeed be close to being up for the five-time champions, a franchise that boasts four men who have won the World Cup, one World Cup finalist, and five additional players who have reached World Cup semi-finals in their careers.
Heading into the tournament, MI were widely seen as contenders. Instead, they have used 23 players across nine games—an indicator of squad imbalance, unsettled selection choices, inconsistency, players failing to hit form, and a lack of a steady game plan that has sometimes turned into reactive, panic-driven decisions. Yet MI have not accepted defeat.
After their loss to CSK on Saturday night, coach Mahela Jayawardene insisted the campaign is not over. “No, I think it’s too early for me to say anything. I think we’ve still got five more games. Anything can happen for us. We just need to finish the tournament positively and see what happens. There’s still a lot more cricket to be played, and I don’t think we are mathematically out of the tournament. So I’m going to fight, and I’m sure the rest of the boys will do the same,” he said.
MI’s struggles have also been worsened by the lack of impact from several key players—most notably Suryakumar Yadav. Last season he finished second in the batting charts, but in the current campaign he has dropped to 40th, with 183 runs at an average of 20.33 and a strike rate of 144. Jayawardene, however, defended Suryakumar’s situation. “I think he’s definitely up for it. I think he’s in a good space. It’s just that it hasn’t worked—the number of times he’s got caught on the boundary this season. Some of those shots are his shots, like even in the last game or the one before that—the flick where he got caught. So it’s just a matter of time. I think he himself is disappointed, but he just has to keep working harder,” the coach added.
Lucknow, meanwhile, have had a longer pause in their schedule. Their last match was on April 26, and they have had a week since then. Whether that rest helps them regain momentum remains unclear, but the signs so far suggest the Rishabh Pant-led side is not finding its rhythm. In a season where batters have dominated, LSG’s two best performers—Mitchell Marsh (212) and Aiden Markram (193)—still have combined runs that do not exceed the output of any player placed in the top three of the Orange Cap list, underlining how hard it has been for their batting group to consistently take over games.
That theme also reflects the returns from their biggest buys. Pant and Nicholas Pooran, who together cost INR 48 crore, have delivered averages of 27 and 10 respectively. With the batting order in need of a thorough refresh, that overhaul is expected to be a focus at next year’s auction.
On the eve of the game, Bharat Arun tried to keep the mood constructive. “There is light at the end of the tunnel. For us, we have no other option. Every game is a knockout from here. It’s about how we perform and how we focus on the things,” he said.
When and where
When: MI vs LSG, IPL 2026, May 4 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
What to expect: The red-soil surface at Wankhede is expected to play more favourably for batting than what Mumbai Indians encountered at MA Chidambaram Stadium. As a result, totals are likely to be higher than those seen in Chennai on Saturday night. MI could look to set a large target if they bat first, but it will then come down to whether Lucknow has the batting depth and chase temperament to pull it off.
Head-to-head
MI 2 – 6 LSG. Lucknow appear to hold the upper hand in the overall head-to-head record, and even at Wankhede they have been stronger—winning two of the three meetings there.
Team Watch
Mumbai Indians
Injuries/Unavailabilities: There is still no clear update on Rohit Sharma’s fitness. He has not been seen to have fully recovered from a right hamstring injury that he picked up three weeks ago. With Jayawardene still expressing hope of a playoff berth, Mumbai are unlikely to treat this match as a dead rubber and rest key players—especially Jasprit Bumrah.
Tactics & Match-ups: Trent Boult is often viewed as a Powerplay specialist, but this season he has not taken a wicket in the opening overs, with his economy rate in that phase sitting at 13.62. In contrast, AM Ghazanfar—MI’s leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps—has already grabbed five wickets during the Powerplay. Hardik Pandya may also lean on Jasprit Bumrah, who bowls effectively across phases, alongside Ghazanfar in the first part of the innings.
Probable XI: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Krish Bharat, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwani Kumar, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu Sharma and Corbin Bosch.
Lucknow Super Giants
Injuries/Unavailabilities: All players appear to be available except Matthew Breetzke. Josh Inglis has also joined the squad in Mumbai a couple of days ago.
Tactics & Match-ups: LSG’s seam bowlers have produced the best average, strike rate, and economy rate during the Powerplay. That makes Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav, supported by Mohammed Shami, likely to be central to the early-plan attack—particularly across the first six overs. Prince Yadav has been LSG’s leading wicket-taker this season with 13 scalps and has been effective in every phase. With the bat, Josh Inglis is expected to have a favourable matchup against Bumrah, which could provide a morale lift for a side currently sitting in 10th place.
Probable XI: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Josh Inglis, Ayush Badoni, Himmat Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Rathi and Prince Yadav.
Did you know
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What they said
“I think it’s not just Booms (Bumrah); it’s a collective effort from all the bowlers. When everyone’s working together and picking up wickets here and there, it helps Boom be a bit more aggressive rather than doing a holding job. Like I said, everyone tends to have a slow season, but class is always permanent.” — MI coach Mahela Jayawardene on Jasprit Bumrah and other players not hitting their best form yet
“I don’t think the price tag has anything to do with it. If you really look at his batting throughout, in the second game that we played, he took us through the line, and I wouldn’t be too concerned about his form. It’s just a question of being one innings away from getting back to his normal.” — LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun on Rishabh Pant’s poor form in the season
