Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra said that despite having many experienced bowlers, Mumbai Indians made no sense in handing the ball to Raj Angad Bawa in that final over.
Mumbai Indians have been eliminated from IPL 2026, becoming the second team after Lucknow Super Giants to be officially eliminated from the competition after their defeat to defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The Hardik Pandya-led side is on its way to its second group-stage finish in three seasons, and this time too, they are likely to finish in the bottom half of the points table. The MI management has been questioned over their unwise decisions in the last game against RCB.
Aakash Chopra left stunned by MI’s decision to hand the final over to Raj Angad Bawa
Mumbai Indians suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Raipur and were eliminated from the playoff race. The Indian youngster, who is not even a regular bowler for his home team, raised many eyebrows when he handed the final over to Raj Angad Bawa.
Former Indian batsman turned analyst Aakash Chopra questioned the foolish actions of captain Suryakumar Yadav and MI management. He pointed out that despite having experienced and full-time bowlers in their group, they used Bava to reach the final and spoil the match, which was almost in their pocket.
“How did you do it, Mumbai? Ghazanfar had one left, but you went with Raj Angad Bawa. The former Indian batsman said, “You gave the 20th over to a young player who doesn’t even bowl regularly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.”
Aakash Chopra disappointed with lack of clarity in MI camp on Impact Player rule
Aakash Chopra also questioned why the MI team did not bowl a single over to him despite making an impact in the form of Raghu Sharma. He also highlighted the fact that this is not the first time MI have done this this season.
Aakash Chopra said in a video on
After selecting Raghu Sharma, he said he understood why spinners could not be handed the ball in those conditions; However, he was not aware of why players like Ashwini Kumar, Shardul Thakur or Krish Bhagat are not there in the list of influential players of MI.
“Sharma was not brought in to bowl as the wicket was not providing any help to the spinners. If you couldn’t bowl to Ghazanfar, I understand why you didn’t bowl to Raghu. But this is the big question.
“You had Shardul Thakur in the impact player list. You had Ashwini Kumar, Krish Bhagat and Mohammad Izhar but you did not put any of them in the impact player list. The player who was available, you did not bring him. The player you brought, you did not give him the ball. Questions should be asked.”
“In the 2010s, Mumbai used to win the IPL every other year.” – Aakash Chopra surprised by MI’s poor performance in this decade
Aakash Chopra also looked disappointed with Mumbai’s recent performance in the last few editions of the IPL.
He claimed that despite some solid performances in the past, the team has lost form in recent years and has often finished at the bottom of the points table after being winners of alternate editions.
“In the 2010s, Mumbai used to win the IPL every other year. 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and again in 2020. But when you came to 2020, Mumbai became the first team to be eliminated every other year.”
“They were not out in 2025 earlier but were out in 2024 and now, this year, they are out with LSG. Their season is over,” Aakash Chopra said.
He said, “This is a team which has players like Suryakumar Yadav, who has not scored runs, Tilak Verma, who has played just 2 good innings. The team has players like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Deepak Chahar, Ghazanfar, Naman Dheer. Yet, he is the first player to be dropped. Time for introspection.”
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