India, May 1 -- When the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 started, one expected the Mumbai Indians to steamroll the other teams and make their way to the playoffs, considering the sort of squad the five-time champions had. However, reality has been completely different, and the Hardik Pandya-led side finds itself at the number nine spot in the standings. A loss against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday will all but rule the franchise out of playoff contention. One major reason behind Mumbai's struggles is Suryakumar Yadav's lacklustre form.

The 35-year-old, who led India to a T20 World Cup title earlier this year, has found the going tough in the IPL 2026 season, with just 162 runs coming from his willow in eight matches, with his hi...