Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 ends early: injuries, thin margins, and a season that never settled

Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes were officially extinguished by a tense two-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur, capping a stop-start IPL 2026. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene pointed to a draining injury run—most notably captain Hardik Pandya’s back issue—while conceding MI simply didn’t execute well enough in key moments.