Top 5 worst begins to a season for Mumbai Indians ft. IPL 2026

Mumbai Indians (MI) endured another setback in their IPL 2026 campaign as they went down to Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 16. Asked to bat first, MI posted 195/6, with Quinton de Kock starring with an unbeaten 112 off 60 balls, including eight fours and seven sixes, while Naman Dhir contributed 50 off 31.

In response, Prabhsimran Singh played a superb unbeaten knock of 80 off 39 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. He received strong support from skipper Shreyas Iyer, who made 66 off 35 balls with five fours and four sixes, as PBKS chased down the target in 16.3 overs to win by seven wickets with 21 balls remaining.

This marked MI’s fourth consecutive defeat and second straight loss at home, leaving them ninth after five matches. On that note, here we take a look at the top five worst starts to a season for Mumbai Indians in IPL history.

#5 IPL 2026

Before the start of IPL 2026, MI were considered firm favourites and one of the strongest sides on paper. The Hardik Pandya-led team began in style, winning their opening encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets while chasing 221, marking the first time MI had won their first game of a season since 2012.

However, since then, everything has gone downhill for the five-time champions, as they have lost four matches in a row and now find themselves ninth in the points table with just two points.

#4 IPL 2015

In IPL 2015, Mumbai Indians had a disappointing start, winning just one of their first six matches, with that sole victory coming in the fifth game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), which they won by 18 runs.

However, the side turned things around in the second half of the season, winning seven of their next eight matches, finishing second on the points table, and eventually going on to win their second title under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.

#3 IPL 2018

Like in the 2015 season, MI had a similar start to their campaign in the 2018 edition, winning just one of their first six matches. Their only victory during this period came at home against RCB in their fourth game, which they won by 46 runs after posting 213.

In the next eight games, Mumbai managed five wins but failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing fifth on the points table with 12 points from 14 matches.

#2 IPL 2014

Mumbai Indians won their first title in the 2013 season, and the following year saw them make a dismal start, losing their first five games, all of which were played in the UAE.

However, once the action returned to India, they won seven of their last nine matches and qualified for the playoffs after finishing fourth. Their campaign, however, ended in defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Eliminator.

#1 IPL 2022

Five-time champions MI endured their worst-ever start in the 2022 edition, where they lost their first eight games under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.

Meanwhile, the team won four of their next six matches but could not help themselves move up the table, finishing at the bottom with eight points from 14 games, marking the first time MI finished last in an IPL season.