Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard reflected on his side’s difficult run in IPL 2026, with the team losing six of their eight matches and now facing a must-win situation in the games ahead to stay in contention for the playoffs. Despite putting up a massive 243 for 5, MI up on the losing side as Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down the target with eight balls to spare. It was another frustrating outing for the bowling unit, especially Jasprit Bumrah, who had an off day and went wicketless while conceding 54 runs in his four overs. The defeat further underlined the challenges Mumbai have faced throughout the season, with both bat and ball failing to click together at crucial moments.
Pollard admitted that inconsistency has been a major concern for Mumbai Indians this season, stressing that the team has fallen short collectively and needs to raise its standards across all departments.
“It has not been as consistent as we would have hoped. The results are showing. It is something you cannot shy away from. Collectively, we have not been good enough.” We just need to be collectively better as a unit. That is as much as you can ask. You can ask them to execute better in different areas of the game,” Pollard said in the post-match press conference.
He added that putting together a complete performance remains key, while stressing that the intent within the dressing room is still strong despite the results.
“But we need to play that complete game of cricket to win a match. It is getting difficult with the way cricket is doing, but what I can safely say, in the dressing room, the guys are wanting to fight,” he added.
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“Still very much in the tournament”: Pollard
Mumbai Indians must win all six of their remaining league matches, and by convincing margins, to give their net run rate a lift. A clean sweep would take them to 16 points, which has typically been enough to secure a top-four finish. Any slip, however, would leave their campaign in a precarious spot, with qualification likely hinging on net run rate.
Pollard made it clear that, despite the setbacks, the team hasn’t given up on its campaign, stressing that there is still belief within the group as long as they remain mathematically in contention.
“We have lost games, but we have not accepted defeat. When I said defeat, I didn’t want the headlines to be that the Mumbai Indians have been defeated, because mathematically and from a points perspective, we are still very much in the tournament. Yes, we have accepted losses because we lost the last couple of games, but we have not accepted defeat because we are not out of the tournament. We are still looking to go back and see what we can do and how far we can go in this tournament,” he concluded.