In the IPL, teams at the bottom are often framed as fighting to avoid the “wooden spoon” tag, and Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are starting to drift toward that conversation. Both franchises sit in the ninth and 10th positions on the points table, and while neither has officially hit the wall yet, their chances of reaching the playoffs are looking increasingly narrow.
Lucknow still retains a mathematical pathway, but Mumbai’s position is more fragile. With just two victories from nine matches, the five-time champions can climb to a maximum of 14 points. Traditionally, sides reaching 16 points have been the ones to qualify for the top four, leaving MI with a steep hill to climb. For a team with World Cup winners, finalists, and multiple semifinalists from the game’s biggest stages in its ranks, the current slide would be a bitter pill to swallow.
MI’s struggles have not been limited to form alone. Across nine games, they’ve used 23 players, a figure that hints at imbalance in the XI, unsettled selection choices, and repeated attempts to solve problems midstream. The result has been a cycle of instability—players not performing at their usual levels, decision-making that has looked hurried, and a general lack of consistent clarity.
Still, the belief inside the camp has not fully evaporated. After their loss to Chennai Super Kings on Saturday night, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene insisted it was too soon to write their story off. He said they still have five matches remaining, that anything can happen in T20, and that their focus must be on finishing the tournament strongly. Jayawardene added that they are not mathematically eliminated and that he expects the entire group to fight hard for the remaining opportunities.
One of the biggest talking points has been Suryakumar Yadav. The batter who finished second in the run-scoring race last season is currently positioned 40th in the batting charts, with 183 runs at an average of 20.33 and a strike rate of 144. Regardless of how he frames it, the numbers suggest not only a lack of runs but also a broader dip in form.
Jayawardene defended Suryakumar’s situation. He said the player is in a good place mentally and has been working at it, but the execution has not clicked. The coach pointed out that Suryakumar has been caught on the boundary multiple times this season—shots that are indeed part of his game, including a dismissive flick in the most recent encounter and similar moments just before that. Jayawardene’s message was that the outcome is a matter of time and continued hard work, and that the batter himself is disappointed but must keep pressing.
Lucknow, meanwhile, has had a different kind of disruption. Their last match was on April 26, and a week has passed since then. Whether that extended break helps them refresh their approach is unclear, but the broader picture has not improved. In a season where batting has largely dominated conversations, the two standout batters in LSG’s line-up—Mitchell Marsh (212) and Aiden Markram (193)—have together not produced more runs than each of the top three batters on the Orange Cap list.
That underlines what has defined Lucknow’s campaign: even their best performers have not been enough to lift the overall team totals into a consistent rhythm. Their two most expensive signings have also struggled to deliver what was expected. Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran, who together cost INR 48 crore, have returned batting averages of 27 and 10 respectively.
With the batting unit needing a major reset, the likely solution is through the next auction rather than quick fixes. LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun, speaking ahead of the contest, stressed that there is still light at the end of the tunnel, but that from here every match effectively becomes a knockout. He said the emphasis must be on performance and focus on the details that decide T20 games.
MI vs LSG: preview for the IPL 2026 clash
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When: MI vs LSG, IPL 2026, May 4 at 7:30 PM IST.
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Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
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What to expect: The Wankhede surface is expected to play in favour of batters, with red-soil conditions likely to help them score more freely than what Mumbai encountered at MA Chidambaram Stadium. With the setting in mind, totals are expected to be higher than the scores seen in Chennai on Saturday night. MI may aim for a big score if they bat first, but the key question is whether LSG can chase such a target.
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Head-to-head: MI 2-6 LSG. Lucknow have been the stronger side overall, and at Wankhede specifically they have won two of the three meetings.
Team watch
Mumbai Indians
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Injuries/Unavailabilities: There is still no certainty around Rohit Sharma, who is not yet believed to be fully recovered from a right hamstring injury sustained three weeks ago. With Jayawardene still speaking about hopes of a playoff berth, MI are unlikely to treat the match as a lost cause and are not expected to rest key players—particularly Jasprit Bumrah.
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Tactics & match-ups: Trent Boult has the reputation of being a Powerplay specialist, but this season he has not taken a wicket in the opening phase, operating with an economy rate of 13.62. By contrast, AM Ghazanfar—MI’s leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps—has taken five wickets in the Powerplay. The plan could be to use Jasprit Bumrah, an all-phase bowler, along with Ghazanfar during the first six overs as MI look to put pressure early.
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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, Corbin Bosch.
Lucknow Super Giants
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Injuries/Unavailabilities: All players are expected to be available except Matthew Breetzke. Josh Inglis has also joined the squad in Mumbai, arriving a couple of days ago.
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Tactics & match-ups: LSG’s seam bowlers have been the most effective in the Powerplay in terms of average, strike rate, and economy. There is little doubt that Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav, supported by Mohammed Shami, will form the backbone of their attack—especially during the first six overs. Prince Yadav, LSG’s leading wicket-taker this season with 13 scalps, has shown impact across phases rather than just at the start. With the bat, Josh Inglis has a favourable matchup against Bumrah, a point that could lift morale for a side currently placed 10th.
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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, Prince Yadav.
What the coaches said
MI coach Mahela Jayawardene said that the improvement around Jasprit Bumrah is not just about him, describing it as a collective effort from the entire bowling group. He suggested that when bowlers coordinate and keep taking wickets in different phases, it allows Bumrah to be more aggressive rather than being stuck in a containment role. The coach also added that slow seasons happen to everyone, but class remains constant.
LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun responded to concerns about Rishabh Pant’s form by saying the price tag should not be treated as the reason for performance swings. He referenced Pant’s earlier innings where the batter helped move the side through key moments, and said the main factor is simply getting one innings to get back to normal rhythm.
