Mumbai Indians, captained by Hardik Pandya, started IPL 2026 with a win. It was many years later that MI won the first match of the edition, but after that the team yearned for victory. With 4 consecutive defeats at Wankhede, many more unwanted records were created. Rohit Sharma could not play all the matches due to fitness, Suryakumar Yadav’s form was missing, this season was one of the worst seasons for Jasprit Bumrah. After the disappointing performance of the team, Mumbai can make some big changes, the biggest one being changing the captain.

According to the report of Indian Express, Mumbai Indians have decided to remove Hardik Pandya from the captaincy before the next season. According to the report, after the last league match against Rajasthan Royals, the coaching staff of Mumbai had a meeting with all the players. In this, displeasure was also expressed over the behavior of senior players.

Mumbai Indians team has 2 T20 World Cup winning captains (Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav). Jasprit Bumrah is a dangerous bowler, Hardik Pandya himself is a big player. However, despite being such a legend, this season did not go well for them, let alone winning, the team was not even seen fighting. According to the report, during IPL 2026, the coaching staff said some things to the players based on the data base, but the same was not done in the match. The coaching staff is angry with this and has said that in future the senior players will also have to listen to the coach.

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Will Hardik Pandya leave MI?

If Mumbai Indians removes Hardik from the captaincy, then it is possible that he may not want to stay in this franchise. There are many franchises, which can change their captain next year. It has LSG, KKR, DC. Hardik can go to any team which wants to make him the captain.

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Talking about the individual performance of Hardik Pandya, he scored only 206 runs in 10 matches in IPL 2026, he could not score a single half-century. Only 2 sixes came from his bat in the entire season. However, the biggest reason for Mumbai Indians’ flop this year was the lack of performance of their fast bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah was also able to take only 4 wickets in 13 matches.

The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League has reached the playoff round. On Sunday, the fourth team to reach the playoffs in the form of Rajasthan Royals was also confirmed, before this Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad had qualified. The journey of 6 teams is over. Of course, the season was not good for many teams, but many of their players impressed. There were many among them for whom this was their first IPL season. However, there were many big names who remained sitting on the bench the entire season. Here we are telling about those 5 players who have played international cricket for Team India but despite being in the team this year, they did not get a chance to play even a single match.

Prithvi Shaw (DC)

Delhi Capitals bought Prithvi Shaw at his base price (75 lakhs). 26-year-old Prithvi has been playing in IPL since 2018, he is experienced and has played 79 matches. He has played international matches in all three formats for Team India. He has played 5 Tests, 6 ODIs and 1 T20 International match. Although he is out of Team India after continuous poor performance, he played his last international match in 2021.

Last year he remained unsold in IPL, but this time his old franchise Delhi bought him. Delhi was not doing well in the league stage, yet they did not give a chance to Prithvi Shaw.

Rahul Tripathi (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders bought Rahul Tripathi for Rs 75 lakh, which was his base price. He was an important part of the KKR team in 2020 and 2021, but after this they released Tripathi. After the last edition, CSK also released him, although he was bought by KKR for IPL 2026 but remained sitting on the bench for the entire season.

Rahul Tripathi has played 5 T20 International matches for India, although in that too he has only 97 runs in 5 innings. Rahul did not get to play a single match in IPL 2026.

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Umran Malik (KKR)

Fast bowler Umran Malik has played 10 ODI and 8 T20 International matches for India. Umran was bought by Kolkata for Rs 75 lakh for IPL 2026, but he was not included in the playing 11 in a single match. Umran also played only 1 match for SRH in the entire season in 2024, since then he has not been able to play till now.

Kuldeep Sen(RR)

Rajasthan Royals have reached the playoffs, which will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator match. Kuldeep Sen, who is also included in Rajasthan, has been sitting on the bench the entire season. He has played 1 ODI match for Team India. Although Rajasthan has at least one match left, it is difficult that this bowler will get a chance. Kuldeep was bought by Rajasthan for Rs 75 lakh

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Jayant Yadav (GT)

Gujarat Titans have reached the playoffs, they will get 2 chances to reach the finals as the team finished second in the points table. GT had retained Jayant Yadav for Rs 75 lakh, who has played 6 Tests and 2 ODIs for the Indian cricket team. Although Gujarat did not include Jayant in the playing 11 in the 14 matches of the league stage, it is difficult for him to play in the playoffs.

In the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League, all 70 matches of the league stage have been played. Now Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals are in the race for the title, other 6 teams are out. Before the playoffs, know who are the top-5 players who hit the most fours this season. Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill are included in this list but Vaibhav Suryavanshi is not in the top-5. Know what number he is at?

There is no foreign batsman among the top-5 batsmen who hit the most fours in IPL 2026, all are Indians. The foreign player who hit the most fours is Mitchell Marsh, who hit 51 fours in 13 innings. He is at eighth place in the overall list.

1. Sai Sudarshan

The batsman who has hit the most fours after 70 matches is Sai Sudarshan. The opening batsman of Gujarat Titans has hit 62 fours in 14 innings. This season he has scored a total of 638 runs, which includes 1 century and 7 half-centuries. Sudarshan has hit 29 sixes.

2. Virat Kohli

Star batsman Virat Kohli, included in Royal Challengers Bangalore, has hit 59 fours in 14 innings. He is just 3 fours away from Sai Sudarshan. Both the batsmen will face each other in Qualifier-1 on Tuesday (RCB vs GT). Virat has scored 557 runs this season, he has scored 1 century and 4 half-centuries.

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3. Shubhman Gill

The captain of Gujarat Titans is at third place in the list, who has hit 57 fours in 13 innings this season. Gill has scored 616 runs this season, which includes 6 half-century innings.

4. Ishan Kishan

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan has hit 57 fours in 14 innings, he is equal to Gill. He has scored 569 runs this season, which includes 6 half-centuries.

5. KL Rahul

Delhi Capitals’ wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul has hit 56 fours in 14 innings, although his team is already out of the league stage. Rahul scored 593 runs this season, he scored 1 century and 5 half-centuries.

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Which number is Vaibhav Suryavanshi?

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is at number 9 in the list of batsmen who have hit the most fours in IPL 2026. He has hit 50 fours in 14 innings. However, he has hit more sixes than this. He is the batsman who has hit the most sixes this season with 53 sixes. He has to hit 7 more sixes to break Chris Gayle’s big record.

Chris Gayle hit a total of 59 sixes in the 2012 season, which is the most by any batsman in a season. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has scored 583 runs in 14 matches this year, which includes 1 century and 3 half-centuries.

The confusion regarding IPL 2026 league is over. The biggest suspense of the league stage is finally over. Rajasthan Royals won the last ticket for the playoffs by defeating Mumbai Indians in the match played at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. With this victory, Rajasthan not only confirmed its place, but the entire equation of the points table also became clear. After this defeat of Mumbai, the hopes of Preity Zinta’s team Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were completely dashed and both the teams are officially out of the playoffs of the tournament.

In this victory of Rajasthan Royals, the players of the team performed brilliantly. Rajasthan maintained pressure throughout the match and did not give Mumbai Indians a chance to make a comeback. The special thing was that the team showed excellent composure in the do-or-die match. Under the leadership of Riyan Parag, Rajasthan secured fourth position in the points table with 16 points.

After the end of the league stage, the four teams of the playoffs have also been decided. Defending champion Royal Challengers Bangalore achieved the top position on the basis of 18 points and excellent net run rate. Gujarat Titans also stood second with 18 points. Sunrisers Hyderabad played aggressive cricket throughout the season and won the third position, while Rajasthan became the fourth team.

According to the rules of IPL, the Qualifier-1 match will be played between the top two teams of the points table i.e. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans will face each other. The team that wins this match will directly reach the finals. However, the losing team will also have another chance to reach the final, because it will be given a chance to play Qualifier-2.

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On the other hand, in the eliminator match, the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will be do or die for both the teams. The team that wins this match will reach Qualifier-2, while the journey of the losing team will end here in IPL 2026.

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After the Eliminator, Qualifier-2 will be played, in which the losing team of Qualifier-1 and the winning team of the Eliminator will face each other. The winning team of this match will get the second ticket for the final. For the shining trophy of IPL 2026, the winning team of Qualifier-1 and the winning team of Qualifier-2 will clash with each other in the title match of the Grand Finale.

Kolkata Knight Riders Playoff Scenario: Today, the last league stage match in IPL 2026 will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals (KKR vs DC). The race for the fourth spot of the playoffs has dragged on till this last day. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans have already secured their place in the last-4. But the decision on the fourth team of the playoff is to be taken today itself.

Kolkata Knight Riders team is coming after registering 6 wins in the last 7 matches. KKR team is standing on the threshold of playoff, but it needs outside help to cross the threshold of playoff. So understand here in simple language, how Kolkata can get the ticket for playoff.

Win by 77 runs or 12.1 overs

The path to the playoffs for Kolkata Knight Riders is not easy. Before the match against Delhi Capitals, Kolkata team will have to hope that Rajasthan Royals loses their match against Mumbai Indians. If Rajasthan loses today, only then will KKR’s playoff hopes remain intact. Now the question is that if RR loses, then what is the equation for Kolkata going to the playoffs.

If Kolkata team bats first in the match against Delhi Capitals, then it will have to win by a margin of at least 77 runs. Because only with such a big win their net run rate will go above Punjab Kings. If Kolkata comes to bat in the second innings, they will have to chase the target in 12.1 overs.

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What will happen if Rajasthan wins?

If Rajasthan Royals beats Mumbai Indians in their last league match, they will have 16 points. In such a situation, Rajasthan will qualify for the playoffs, while Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals, these three teams will be out of the tournament.

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Today is the last day of the league stage of IPL 2026, which will decide the fourth team to reach the playoffs. The first match will be played in the afternoon between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. MI is already out of the playoff race, but this is a do or die match for Rajasthan. If RR wins, it will go to the playoffs and if it loses, it will be out. Before this, Mumbai has made a big move, they have included 2 new players in the team as replacement.

Mumbai Indians said in their statement that before the last league match against Rajasthan Royals, they have included 2 players in the team as replacements. Quinton de Kock and Raj Angad Bawa are out due to injury. MI will play fearlessly in the final match and would like to end their journey with a win.

These 2 players were included

Mumbai has included Rajasthan’s left-handed batsman Mahipal Lomror in the team as a replacement, who has played for the Rajasthan Royals team from 2018 to 2021. He played for RCB team from 2022 to 2024. He has scored 527 runs in 35 innings of IPL, he has been able to score only one half-century. It remains to be seen whether Mumbai will give this all-rounder a chance to play in the last match.

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Mumbai has also included 25-year-old Ruchit Ahir in the replacement team. This wicketkeeper batsman from Saurashtra has played 12 matches in T20, in which he has scored 333 runs. He has 2 half-centuries to his name. Ruchit can also bowl.

2⃣ replacement signings

Mumbai Indians have confirmed the signings of Rajasthan left-hander Mahipal Lomror and Saurashtra wicket keeper batsman Ruchit Ahir as replacements for Quinton de Kock and Raj Angad Bawa respectively, both of whom had been ruled out of IPL 2026 with… pic.twitter.com/LL5ekFlwzO

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 23, 2026

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When and where to watch MI vs RR live match?

Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals match will be played at Wankhede Stadium from 3:30 pm. The toss will take place at 3 o’clock. The match will be broadcast live on the channels of Star Sports Network. Live streaming will be on JioHotstar app and website.

The playoff schedule of IPL 2026 is almost ready. Three teams have reached the playoffs and the fourth team will also appear in the next 2 days. But there is a tough battle going on to become the fourth team to go to the playoffs. Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders are the 4 teams who can still get a ticket for the playoffs.

The first qualifier match will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans, because both these teams remained in the top-2 of the points table. Whereas Sunrisers Hyderabad, which is in third place, has reached the eliminator. Let us tell you that the playoff stage will start from 26th May and the final will be played on 31st May. There are only 3 matches left in the league stage, but what is the equation for that fourth spot and who has the easiest path to the playoffs? Understand the complete equation of playoffs here.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals’ path to the playoffs is the easiest and most difficult. Rajasthan has to register only a win over Mumbai Indians on 24th May, even if it is by 1 run. RR team will get the playoff ticket just by defeating Mumbai, because then it will have 16 points. Among the four teams in the race for the playoffs, only Rajasthan can reach 16 points.

Rajasthan will not be out even if it loses to MI. In case of defeat, Rajasthan will have to hope that Lucknow Super Giants defeats Punjab Kings. Whereas Delhi Capitals should win over KKR but it should not be so big that its net run rate goes above Rajasthan.

punjab kings

The first task before Punjab Kings is to defeat Lucknow Super Giants by a big margin. After that Shreyas Iyer and his team will have to hope that Rajasthan Royals loses their last league stage match. Even this will not ensure Punjab’s place in the playoffs, because Punjab will also have to pray for Delhi Capitals’ victory over KKR.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders will first have to register a big win against Delhi Capitals, which will take them to 15 points. Punjab can also reach 15 points by defeating Lucknow, but KKR will have to hope that if the points are equal, its net run rate is better than Punjab. Rajasthan Royals’ defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians will also be very important for Kolkata.

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Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals’ path to the playoffs is the toughest. By defeating Kolkata Knight Riders, they will get 14 points and it is very important for them to turn their poor net run rate of -0.871 into positive. After defeating Kolkata, Delhi Capitals will have to hope that Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings lose their last matches.

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Of the 10 teams participating in the IPL, only four qualify for the playoffs. After overcoming difficult challenges for about 2 months, a team gets a ticket for the playoffs. In the last 19 years of history, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have won the IPL title the most, five times each. But which team has played the most playoff matches during this period? See here the top-5 list of those teams which have entered the playoffs the most number of times.

Chennai Super Kings – 26 Playoff Matches

Chennai Super Kings is at the first place in this list, which has played 26 playoff matches so far. These 26 playoff matches also include 10 finals. Till now 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026 are the seasons when CSK team could not reach the playoffs.

Mumbai Indians – 22 Playoff Matches

Like CSK, Mumbai Indians have also won the IPL title five times. But it is behind Chennai in terms of playing the maximum number of playoff matches. MI has played 22 playoff matches and has played the IPL finals 6 times so far.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 17 Playoff matches

IPL 2025 champion Royal Challengers Bangalore has played 17 playoff matches so far. Till the 2025 season, the RCB team has played 4 finals and finally won its first title in 2025. Bengaluru has reached the playoffs five times in 6 IPL seasons since 2021.

Kolkata Knight Riders – 15 Playoff Matches

Kolkata Knight Riders is at fourth place in terms of playing most playoff matches. KKR has played 15 playoff matches so far and has been champion three times. Kolkata last won the Indian Premier League trophy in 2024.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad – 14 Playoff Matches

Sunrisers Hyderabad, the champion of the 2016 season, has played 14 playoff matches in the IPL so far. SRH team has played the IPL final three times. He had traveled till the finals in the 2024 season.

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The playoff phase of IPL 2026 is starting from 26th May. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, these three teams have secured a place in the playoffs. Qualifier 1 and Eliminator teams have also started emerging in the playoffs. The format of IPL is such that every time a team gets 2 chances to reach the finals.

After all, what kind of format is this that only one team gets a double chance to go to the finals. Actually this whole game is to achieve better position in the points table. Teams finishing in the top-2 get 2 chances to go to the finals.

Who will get two chances in IPL 2026?

If we look at the format of the Indian Premier League, the teams that play Qualifier 1 get two chances. In IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans have finished in the top-2 of the points table. Therefore, on May 26, the teams of Bengaluru and Gujarat will come face to face in Qualifier 1. The team that wins Qualifier 1 gets direct entry into the finals. Therefore, whoever wins the match between Bengaluru and Gujarat on 26th May will enter the final.

Whereas the team that loses in Qualifier 1 gets a second chance to go to the finals. After losing the first qualifier, that team plays in the second qualifier. In Qualifier 2, it faces the winning team of the eliminator match.

Who will face whom in the eliminator?

Both the teams of the eliminator match have not come forward yet. The teams finishing third and fourth come face to face in the eliminator match. Sunrisers Hyderabad has settled at the third position, but the fourth and last spot of the playoffs is still vacant. In the eliminator, Hyderabad will face one of the four teams Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals.

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Three teams for the playoffs in the 19th season of the Indian Premier League have been confirmed. Royal Challengers Bangalore under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, Gujarat Titans under the captaincy of Shubman Gill and Sunrisers Hyderabad under the captaincy of Pat Cummins have reached the playoffs. Now there is competition between 4 teams for the fourth spot. Today is Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings match. LSG is out of the playoff race, if Punjab wins then their hopes will remain intact otherwise their journey will also end today.

Former Indian cricketer and commentator in IPL 2026, Mohammad Kaif believes that the best captain of IPL 2026 is Shubman Gill, who has confirmed his place in the top-2 this season. Gujarat will now face Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier-1. RCB had won its first title last year under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, this time the team was the table topper. However, Kaif considers Gill to be the best captain of this season.

Mohammad Kaif wrote on his

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For me Shubman Gill is this IPL’s best captain. The sign of a great captain is how he uses his bowlers. His bowlers have taken 108 wickets in 14 games. RCB, PK, SRH, RR, CSK have been dismissed by GT bowlers, Gill asks his bowlers to stick to Test match line and length. Gill…

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) May 21, 2026

Shubman Gill’s performance in IPL 2026

Gill has impressed not only with his captaincy but also with his batting. He opens and is giving a great start. He has scored half-centuries in the last 2 matches, he played brilliant innings of 85 runs against KKR and 64 runs against CSK. Gill has scored 616 runs in 13 innings played this season, his strike rate is 161.67.

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Shubman Gill is in second place in the race for Orange Cap, ahead of him is his partner Sai Sudarshan. Sai has scored 638 runs in 14 innings, Gill is only 22 runs behind him. Gill has scored 6 half-centuries in IPL 2026.