3 players who are MI's biggest burden in IPL 2026 - ft Rohit Sharma
Published - 22 Mar 2026, 05:08 PM
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Mumbai Indians (MI) will push hard to claim their 6th Indian Premier League (IPL) title. On paper, their squad is looking like a strong war machine that is ready to conquer the battlefield. But the reality could be different, as some of their key players have been struggling with their form for a long time.
Rohit Sharma remains one of the main topics for discussion related to the league or the team. The former captain of the team was not at its best in the previous IPL 2025 campaign. This season too, the opener's performance will be under scrutiny throughout the season. Along with Sharma, 2 other stars can also trouble the franchise during the IPL 2026 contest.
3 players who are MI's biggest burden in IPL 2026:
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma can be a problematic figure for the team if he fails to take off instantly. Whether for Team India or for the Mumbai Indians, the former captain’s inconsistent form often led to a series of criticisms. There are no doubts over his credibility as a T20 opener; the uncertainty remains because of his consistency.
During the initial stage of the IPL 2025, the Mumbaikar was dismissed cheaply in the back-to-back matches. In 15 matches in 2025 for the Mumbai Indians, he concluded his batting stats with a batting average of 29.85, which was not justifying for a batter of his stature. The fans will definitely wish to see ‘Hitman’ at his peak so that the team can proceed strongly to claim their sixth IPL title.
Suryakumar Yadav
The T20I captain of the Indian cricket team himself can put the team in a difficult position during the title race in the IPL 2026. The batter’s inconsistency has remained a major talking point among the fans since the latter part of 2025.
Yadav was exceptional for the Mumbai Indians in the previous season, scoring 717 runs in 16 matches with a strike rate of 167.92, but dropped drastically when he went to play for the national cricket team.
In the T20 World Cup 2026, the middle-order batter remained mostly off-color. In 9 matches of the tournament, Yadav registered only one half-century, which was against the United States. If his form remains inconsistent, then the 5-time IPL champions may have to think differently.
Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya’s performance will also be scrutinized if he fails again to guide the team to glory. The pace bowling all-rounder will have to maintain a consistent form both with bat and ball to maintain the balance of the playing combination.
With limited batting opportunities in the 2026 T20 World Cup, the middle-order batter registered a couple of half-centuries and a 30 for India, which is decent considering his batting position. With the ball, he took 9 wickets in 9 matches.
In the previous IPL season, he was clearly not at his best as his batting average was 24.89 after 15 games, and he claimed 14 scalps in 15 matches for an economy rate of 9.77.
Read More: Spencer Johnson turns down PSL to join CSK in IPL 2026
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