Mumbai Indians went into IPL 2026 with one of the best teams on paper. Halfway down the road, that reputation has been almost stripped naked.

With five losses from seven outings, Mumbai, one of the most successful teams in the IPL, are struggling to redeem respect. The problems are too many... Injuries to key players, lean patches. All those things have ruined Mumbai’s season.

Does that mean they have nothing to play for? No, not yet. And so when they
take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede on Wednesday, they will take the field with the conviction that a turnaround is just around the corner.

The Sunrisers, on the contrary, have been in decent touch, winning five of their eight games so far. The job, therefore, will not be easy for Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai. They are fighting the battle on multiple fronts and so overcoming the hurdles is proving to be a tough task.

One of the main problems has been Rohit Sharma’s absence. The former captain is recovering from a hamstring issue and looks doubtful for the Sunrisers game too.

Without Rohit, Mumbai have mostly struggled to kick off their innings on a rousing note and with the middle order not looking robust, thanks to the lengthy lean patch of Suryakumar Yadav, the team has not been at its best with the bat.

There have been occasional sparks, like Tilak Varma’s 101 not out against Gujarat Titans, but mostly they have been inconsistent and ordinary.

The bowling has also lacked teeth, though Jasprit Bumrah seems to have shrugged off his rust. Compounding their problems, spinner Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury.

Mumbai have roped in another left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj. Given their desperation for a win, one wouldn’t be surprised if Maharaj is straightaway drafted into the XI on Wednesday.

The Sunrisers have no such worries. With regular captain Pat Cummins back, they look even more potent and will be the favourites for the Wankhede contest.