Things are not looking good for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing IPL 2026. His batting is becoming a bigger concern for him with every match. In fact, MI’s 18-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has once again exposed the weak middle-order.
And with Tilak Verma now under heavy scrutiny, questions are now being raised whether the current batting line-up is working for the five-time IPL champions or not.
Mumbai Indians slip to 8th position after third consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, drawing criticism from Tilak Verma
The pressure is clearly mounting inside the Mumbai Indians camp as they have slipped to 8th in the IPL 2026 points table with their third consecutive defeat in the tournament.
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All eyes were on Tilak Verma in MI’s big clash against RCB, but the young batsman once again disappointed his team as he could score just 1 run off 3 balls at the Wankhede Stadium. Tilak has failed to make any real impact for the team, as he has scored only 35 runs in four matches so far.
Rajat Patidar, on the other hand, showed what Mumbai Indians are missing at the moment. The RCB captain played a fearless innings and scored 53 runs in just 20 balls and snatched the match from Mumbai.
Tilak Verma cannot bowl like Rajat Patidar: Chris Srikkanth
After the big match at Wankhede Stadium, now former Indian chief selector Kris Srikkanth has openly pointed out the difference between Tilak and Rajat. He told that Tilak is not able to dominate the bowlers or control the match like players like Patidar.
“He is not in form, and he does not have the ability to hit big. He is not a stormy batsman. He can play the shots, but he cannot demolish the attack like Phil Salt or Rajat Patidar. Tilak Verma cannot demolish the bowling like Rajat Patidar,” Kris Srikkanth said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
He showed Mumbai Indians the reality that Tilak is currently not able to produce the match-winning performances that he needs, and his struggles have been visible over the last few IPL seasons.
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The former World Cup winner said, “He has not done well for MI in the last two to three IPLs. He cannot bowl out the opposition. In his position, he has to play impressive innings like Patidar. You don’t want consistency here. I am not asking you to score in 7 out of 10 games. You score in 4 out of 10 games and single-handedly win matches for your team. That is all you need.”
Srikanth suggested demoting Tilak Verma to a lower order.
Given the struggles of the Indian batsmen, Srikkanth feels that Mumbai Indians should think about changing their batting position in the tournament. He believes that Tilak should go lower in the batting order, where there is less pressure, and he can play freely to make an impact for the franchise.
He signed off by saying, “I don’t think MI will do it, but Tilak Verma should be dropped lower down the order. He should come in at No. 6 or 7. Tilak Verma is brilliant only when you have to chase 160 or 170. But chasing 200 or 220, Tilak Verma has no chance.”
