Despite a challenging season marked by six losses in eight matches, Mumbai Indians’ batting coach Kieron Pollard remains adamant that the team is still in the hunt. Following a heavy six-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, Pollard clarified that while the team acknowledges their recent poor form, they have not given up on the tournament.
Resilience in the Dressing Room
Pollard in the post match presser emphasized that the squad’s morale remains intact despite the pressure of the leaderboard. He highlighted the competitive nature of the sport while maintaining a broader perspective on their current situation.
“We have not accepted defeat, but we have accepted that we have been on the losing side more often than not so far in this tournament,” Pollard stated. “We need to play a complete game of cricket to win matches, because it’s getting difficult the way the game is going. But what I can safely say is that, in the dressing room, the spirit of the guys is strong they are willing and wanting to fight. So these things happen. You could have been worse off.”
He further added, “But at the end of the day, we’re still playing a game of cricket, and there are a lot of other things more serious in life as well. So it is what it is. Two teams play you win some, you lose some and we have been on the losing side.”
The Mathematical Possibility
Currently sitting in ninth place, the Mumbai Indians face a steep climb to reach the playoffs. However, Pollard was careful to distinguish between losing individual matches and being officially eliminated from contention.
“When I said ‘defeat’, I didn’t want the headlines to suggest that Mumbai Indians are out of the tournament, because mathematically and from a points perspective, we are still very much in it. I just wanted to clarify that sometimes you have to be a little more specific to ensure your point comes across clearly. So yes, we have accepted the losses, because we have lost the last couple of games. But overall, we have not accepted defeat in this tournament, because we are not out of it. We will go back, assess what we can do, and see how far we can go in the tournament.”
Defending the Fortress
The loss to Hyderabad marked MI’s fourth defeat at their home ground this season. Although the match saw a massive total of over 480 runs, with Mumbai unable to protect a score of 243, Pollard declined to criticize the playing surface or the pitch preparation.
“I think I’m the wrong person to answer that question. I’m not too sure I’m not privy to all that information in terms of what you can or cannot say about the pitch. And again, I’m not going to sit here and say anything about it. We’ve all played here for years. We’ve done well here for years. We’ve seen international cricket played here. And two teams take the field every time. So, again, you just have to be better and so far, the opposition have been better than us. It was a good game of cricket, with nearly 500 runs scored, so it was great from an entertainment point of view.”
Searching for Consistency
Ultimately, Pollard attributed the team’s struggles to a lack of cohesion across all departments. He admitted that the side has struggled to deliver a holistic performance during the 2026 campaign.
“In terms of what has gone wrong, I think we haven’t been able to string together a complete game of cricket as a team. It hasn’t been as consistent as we would have hoped, and the results are showing that. So it’s not something you can shy away from. You can sit and try to pinpoint every little aspect, but collectively, I think we haven’t been good enough.”
MI now needs to win all their six games for qualification.
