The Mumbai Indians (MI) continued to struggle in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, facing their seventh defeat against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Captain Hardik Pandya reflected on the team's poor performance, stating, 'Not the season,' as MI now sits at the bottom of the table with just two wins from nine matches. In the recent match, MI started with a promising powerplay but faltered in the latter half, managing only 69 runs for the loss of five wickets in the last ten overs. CSK successfully chased down the target in 18.1 overs, with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the charge. Despite still having a slim mathematical chance to qualify for the playoffs by winning their remaining five matches, MI's path is fraught with challenges, including upcoming games against strong contenders like the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings. Without significant improvements, MI risks being officially knocked out of the playoff race soon.