Kieron Pollard Refuses to Rule Out Mumbai Indians Despite Six Losses, Says ‘We Have Not Accepted Defeat’

Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard has insisted that the five-time champions are still alive in IPL 2026 despite suffering six defeats in their first eight matches of the season.

Speaking after Mumbai Indians were handed a six-wicket defeat by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, Pollard acknowledged the team's struggles but stressed that the dressing room remains determined to fight back.

"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 said.

Mumbai Indians currently sit ninth on the points table with just two wins from eight matches. However, Pollard pointed out that the team still has a mathematical chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

"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," he explained.

"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."

Mumbai Indians' latest defeat also marked their fourth loss at home this season, with the Wankhede Stadium - traditionally considered their fortress - failing to provide the advantage it once did. Despite conceding 243 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pollard refused to attribute the loss to pitch conditions.

"I think I'm the wrong person to answer that question (about whether MI have a say in the preparation of the pitch). 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," he said.

Pollard admitted that Mumbai Indians' biggest issue this season has been their inability to deliver a complete performance across departments.

"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," he said.

Mumbai Indians will now look to regroup quickly as they attempt to keep their slim playoff hopes alive in the remaining matches of IPL 2026.