They have only two points from four games.
Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next home fixture of the IPL 2026. Here is our MI vs PBKS Game Plan before the two teams lock horns at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The five-time former champions are in a spot of bother after losing three games on the trot, and will be desperate to get back on the winning track. To do that, they need to tweak their batting order, especially the roles of Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir.
The Men in Blue and Gold have some serious concerns in their squad, most of which we have highlighted before. The bowling attack is obviously their biggest weakness but the batting line-up needs a lot of work too.
Their opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton has done reasonably well since the last season. Suryakumar Yadav has carried this unit on his back but he has not looked at usual self for a while. Tilak Varma had an excellent first couple of years in the IPL but has failed to make a mark since last year. Mumbai Indians have often struggled to keep up with the rate in middle overs, and Tilak has been one of the reasons.
The primary reason for his struggles at number 3-4 is his game against spin, which has only regressed since he burst on to the scene. He has been found stuck against spinners in the middle overs time and again. So far in this season, he has batted once at three, and thrice at two-down. He has only 35 runs at a strike rate of 120.86 to show for it.
As we can see, there’s a significant difference in his numbers against spin and pace bowling. Since 2025, he is averaging 32.18 against seamers across all T20s while striking at 163.13. These are pretty good numbers. But his performance against spin has been abysmal. He is averaging 44.4 so the wicket preservation is not an issue. His ability (or lack of) to smash the spin is. The southpaw has struck at only 118.05 against spin during this period. It drops down to 111 if we remove the left-arm orthodox spin.
The data is there for all to see. And despite that, the MI management’s insistence on sending him at number 3-5 looks perplexing. Whether they learn from their mistakes in the MI vs PBKS encounter will decide how far they go in the IPL 2026.
Mumbai Indians will be without their star opening batter Rohit Sharma in this game due to a hamstring injury. That means they have to bring in an untested domestic talent in Danish Malewar or Robin Minz. Now there are multiple ways they can approach this in the MI vs PBKS clash. They can simply swap Rohit with one of the youngsters at the top. They can push Naman Dhir to the opening or they can also use Tilak Varma in that role.
However, making him open for one or two games doesn’t make much sense, especially when he’s low on confidence. Instead, using him in a role he has excelled in should be the move. He has the ability to take on pace, and his numbers in death overs are pretty good.
Since 2025, Tilak Varma has done a decent job whenever he has batted in the powerplay. His strike rate drops to 117.43 in the middle overs. But look at the end overs and you can see he’s much better suited as a finisher. He has averaged 34.66 per dismissal in overs 16-20 while striking at a terrific rate of 182.45.
It’s a role Team India have also tried him in not long ago. There is no reason for Mumbai Indians to not give him the responsibility and the luxury of facing as much pace as possible.
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The Mumbai franchise had opted to use their Right-to-Match option in the IPL 2025 auction on Naman Dhir. The youngster lived up to their faith and had an excellent season last year, with 252 runs at a strike rate of 182.60. He mostly batted as a finisher and had good success.
However, the team requirements have changed and the game is evolving rapidly. The powerplay is becoming more and more important as teams winning this phase go on to win the game more often than not. Teams who have destructive batters at the top are doing much better. MI can use Dhir in that role.
Since the IPL 2025 season, Dhir has the highest strike rate during the field restrictions. With Rohit not playing this MI vs PBKS game, they should use Naman Dhir as an opener to try and make the most of the powerplay. When Rohit returns, MI can use Dhir at number three, giving him free licence to take down the bowling attacks.
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