India, May 11 -- Who would have thought that a star-studded Mumbai Indians lineup would not qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs? Before the start of the 19th edition of the T20 tournament, most of the pundits and fans picked the five-time champions as one of the major contenders for the title, but it wasn't meant to be. The Mumbai Indians were officially eliminated from the playoff race on Sunday night after losing to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by two wickets in Raipur.

Mumbai, one of the most successful franchises in IPL history, has been bogged down by the underperformance of its star players, including Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. The three senior players failed to live up to the...