Mumbai Indians bring out a rare 11-year-old strategy in their last league match against Rajasthan Royals

ByTech Word News

Mumbai Indians (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) Mumbai Mumbai Indians tried a different tactical approach in their final match of the league stage against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, with Hardik Pandya introducing as many as three spins in the Powerplay.It marked only the second instance in IPL 2026 that MI opted for this unusual strategy of using three spin overs in the first six overs.Will Jacks was introduced as early as the second over and was brought in again in the fourth before Allah Ghazanfar was handed the sixth as MI doubled the spin in the Powerplay phase.Interestingly, Mumbai Indians deployed a similar approach earlier in the season against Lucknow Super Giants on May 4.It was also the first time in MI’s 11-year IPL history that they used three overs in the Powerplay, underscoring a rare tactical shift at the Wankhede.MI’s rare use of Powerplay spin in IPL historyMI have bowled three or more overs in the Powerplay on only a few occasions:

  • vs PWI, 2012
  • vs PWI, 2013
  • vs DC, 2014
  • vs CSK, 2015
  • vs LSG, 2026
  • vs RR, 2026

Overall, it was the 18th such instance in IPL history for MI to use three or more spins in the first six overs and only the second in the Impact Player era.Five-time champions but mixed recent fortunesMumbai Indians remain one of the most successful franchises in IPL history, having won five titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 – all under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.However, their IPL 2026 campaign has been inconsistent, with several narrow losses affecting their momentum.

  • MI IPL Season 2026:
  • Matches: 13
  • Wins: 4
  • Losses: 9
  • Points: 8
  • Net Run Rate: -0.510

  • Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026
  • vs KKR (March 29): Win by 6 weeks
  • vs DC (April 4): Lost by 6 weeks
  • vs RR (April 7): Lost by 27 runs
  • vs RCB (April 12): Lost by 18 runs
  • vs PBKS (April 16): Lost by 7 weeks
  • vs GT (April 20): Won by 99 runs
  • vs CSK (April 23): Lost by 103 runs
  • vs. SRH (April 29): Lost by 6 weeks
  • vs CSK (May 02): Lost by 8 weeks
  • vs LSG (May 04): won by 6 weeks
  • vs RCB (May 10): Lost by 2 weeks
  • vs PBKS (May 14): Won by 6 weeks
  • vs KKR (May 20): Lost by 4 weeks