In their opening match of the IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians defeated KKR. While this is a big team, their success in the tournament was doubtful after suffering consecutive losses twice. With a win against Gujarat Titans by 99 runs, however, the team managed to overcome four consecutive losses. Though their batting order underperformed in this game, the century of Tilak Verma helped them secure the victory. One of the standout players for Mumbai Indians in the game, which included him as the "Impact player," was Ashwini Kumar, who took 4 wickets conceding just 24 runs.

MI captain Hardik Pandya may have been constantly criticized for his decisions. Furthermore, he hasn't been able to perform well as a player so far. However, he has done a great job in keeping the team's dressing room united during this difficult period.

When asked about the dressing room atmosphere during the consecutive defeats, Ashwini said, "The atmosphere was very good and there was no negativity. There was only positive talk in our dressing room. Whether we won or lost, there were only positive things. Therefore, the atmosphere was very good even then. Tilak played very well. We knew we would score a good total."

Ashwini also spoke openly about his strategy for GT's batsmen. Playing his first match, he bowled brilliantly, dismissing batsmen like Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, and Rashid Khan. Ashwini explained that he had discussed the strategy with Hardik and tried to execute exactly as instructed.

He said, "I had already studied the batsmen and knew how they played, but when I got on the field and saw what the pitch demanded, I consulted the captain and made some changes to my strategy. We had a plan from the beginning, but during the match, you have to understand the pitch and adapt accordingly."

With this win, Mumbai Indians have moved from 10th to 7th in the IPL 2026 points table. MI have two wins in six matches so far. However, if this franchise wants to be considered a top-four contender, it still has a long way to go and many problems to fix.