Mumbai Indians and making a comeback in the Indian Premier League is a match made in heaven. In several seasons, the five-time champions have gotten off to a disastrous start, only to bounce back in the latter half in such a dominating fashion that they defy all odds to make it to the playoffs. Well, that looks like the case this time around as well.
After losing four games on the trot in IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya and co. seem to have finally regained momentum and are back to winning ways. MI handed GT a 99-run mammoth defeat on Monday, putting all other teams on notice. This isn’t the first time that MI have shown the ablity to bounce back despite a bad start and fans could be bracing themselves to see the five-time champions put up another stellar show in the latter half of their campaign to make it to the final four.
MI turnaround loading, like how they did 4 times before?
It all started in the year 2013. In that season, MI lost three out of the first six games they played. When it looked like they were all but certain to be knocked out prematurely, the team went on to win 10 out of the next 13 matches and then went on to become champions as well. The next season, the defending champions found themselves in a similar position initially after losing their first five matches. However, given the calibre of MI, a comeback was surely on the cards, and that is exactly what happened. They won 7 out of the remaining 10 matches and made it to the Eliminator.
| Year | Start | Finish | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Lost 3 of first 6 | Won 10 of next 13 | Champions |
| 2014 | Lost first 5 | Won 7 of next 10 | Eliminator |
| 2015 | Lost 5 of first 6 | Won 9 of next 10 | Champions |
| 2025 | Lost 4 of first 5 | Won 8 of next 11 | Qualifier 2 |
In 2015, once again the team lost 5 matches in the first phase of the IPL, only to go on and win 9 out of the next 10 matches, and finished the tournament as champions for the second time. In both 2013 and 2015, when MI staged a remarkable turnaround, it was Rohit Sharma who was at the helm of affairs.
In 2025, the team lost 4 out of the first 5 matches that they played. They were under immense pressure, having finished at the rock bottom of the points table in the previous season. Added to this was the fury of the fans over Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit as the captain. Therefore, there was a lot to prove. Once again, the team and and it’s leadership group were subjected to severe criticism, with many prematurely calling it the end of yet another poor season for MI. But the five-time champions defied all odds, won 8 out of the remaining 11 matches to make it to Qualifier 2.
Now, in IPL 2026, MI find themselves in a similar position. After breaking their opening game jinx by beating KKR, the team went on to lose 4 back-to-back games – against DC, RR, RCB, and PBKS. And just when it looked like Mumbai Indians were probably done and dusted for this season, they put up another near-impossible show where they thrashed GT by 99 runs to announce their comeback in style. Before that game, they were languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table. With that win, they have now moved to the 7th position and are well on course to find a spot in the top four.
Tilak Varma’s maiden IPL century and Ashwani Kumar’s four-wicket haul were the main reasons behind MI’s win against GT. Hardik Pandya and co. have 8 more matches left.
MI schedule for IPL 2026 after GT clash
| Match No. | Date | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 33rd | Apr 23 | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) |
| 41st | Apr 29 | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) |
| 44th | May 02 | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) |
| 47th | May 04 | Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) |
| 54th | May 10 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) |
| 58th | May 14 | Punjab Kings (PBKS) |
| 65th | May 20 | Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) |
| 69th | May 24 | Rajasthan Royals (RR) |
