Mumbai Indians officially became the first team to be eliminated from the playoff race in IPL 2026 after a heartbreaking defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Sunday. The five-time champions failed to defend 15 runs in the final over as RCB chased down 167 in a last-ball thriller at their adopted home ground — the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. Suryakumar Yadav, who filled in as captain in place of the injured Hardik Pandya, admitted the early elimination was a bitter pill to swallow.
The season never quite went the way Mumbai intended, as they failed to build any momentum. Their elimination had long seemed inevitable before it was officially confirmed in Raipur, where the defending champions beat them by two wickets. It was Mumbai’s eighth loss of the season in 11 matches. And even though they still have three league games left to play, Suryakumar admitted it was difficult to come to terms with a reality Mumbai — one of the most successful teams in IPL history — are not used to facing.
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“I think we can just try and play this game because we love it. Though we are not used to being in this position often. Hard pill to swallow. Hopefully we will come back well next year,” he said in the post-match presentation.
This is not the first time Mumbai have suffered an early elimination. Since their last title triumph in 2020, they have finished at the bottom of the table twice — in 2022 and 2024 — while managing to reach the playoffs only twice in six seasons, including 2025.
How Mumbai performed in 2026
The Hardik-led side had, in fact, started the season with a win against Kolkata Knight Riders at home before suffering a string of defeats that left them languishing in the bottom half of the table. Amid Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma struggling for form, Jasprit Bumrah going wicketless, and Mumbai repeatedly failing to execute both batting and bowling plans, the side slumped to four consecutive losses.
Tilak eventually bounced back with a stunning century to help Mumbai beat Gujarat Titans by 99 runs, lifting them from the bottom of the table. However, that revival was followed by three straight defeats. Their third win came last week against Lucknow Super Giants — the other side whose playoff hopes ended after RCB’s victory on Sunday.
Mumbai came close to pulling off a win against Bengaluru after Corbin Bosch ripped through the middle order, while Jasprit Bumrah delivered a superb 19th over, conceding just three runs to leave Raj Bawa with 15 to defend in the final over. And Bawa did rise to the occasion initially, dismissing RCB’s last recognised batter, Romario Shepherd, within the first three deliveries. But an unlikely six from Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the fourth ball ultimately sealed Mumbai’s heartbreaking fate.
