Who knew Mumbai Indians would stand among the first teams exiting IPL 2026? The five-time champions once carried the image of IPL’s most successful team. However, this season pushed them far behind in the playoff race. More importantly, their trouble reflects a longer painful pattern.
MI’s Slide Goes Beyond One Season
Mumbai Indians have already crashed out of IPL 2026. Yet, the concern does not end with this exit. Instead, it points to a long-running drought. Therefore, many now ask what happened to Mumbai Indians. The franchise has never faced such a difficult IPL phase before.
Old Trophy Wait Gets Surpassed
Mumbai Indians ended their first IPL trophy drought 14 years ago. The IPL began in 2008. After that, Mumbai waited five seasons before winning their first IPL title in 2012. However, their current wait has now become even worse.
Six Seasons Without IPL Trophy
Mumbai Indians last lifted the IPL trophy in 2020. Since then, they have played six seasons from 2021 to 2026. During this entire period, they have not won another title. Earlier, their longest wait lasted five seasons. Now, the drought has stretched to six seasons.
Why This Phase Looks Worse
This six-season wait makes the current period historically painful for Mumbai Indians. That is why this phase looks worse than their early years. Moreover, IPL 2026 added another unwanted mark. For the first time, MI failed against both CSK and RCB in their league meetings.
CSK Handed MI Two Heavy Defeats
Mumbai Indians faced Chennai Super Kings twice in IPL 2026. On April 23, CSK defeated MI by a huge margin of 103 runs. Then, on May 2, Chennai beat Mumbai again. This time, CSK won the match by eight wickets.
RCB Also Completed Double Blow
Similarly, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Mumbai Indians in both matches. Their first clash came on April 12. In that game, RCB beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs. Later, on May 10, Mumbai suffered another defeat. RCB won the second match by two wickets.
A Season That Deepened MI’s Crisis
Therefore, IPL 2026 did more than end Mumbai’s campaign early. It extended their trophyless run to six straight seasons. It also gave them defeats against both CSK and RCB across all meetings. As a result, Mumbai Indians now face their worst IPL period yet.
