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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has advised Mumbai Indians to give opportunities to younger players during their remaining IPL 2026 matches after the team’s elimination from the tournament.
Mumbai Indians have managed to win just three of their 11 matches so far this season and are already out of playoff contention.
MI are set to face playoff-chasing Punjab Kings in Dharamsala in their next match. PBKS are currently on a four-match losing streak and will be desperate to return to winning ways.
Gavaskar highlights Punjab Kings’ desperation
Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, Gavaskar said Punjab Kings would be under pressure after their recent poor run, following a seven-match unbeaten streak earlier in the tournament.
“Punjab Kings would be desperate to get back to winning ways. After losing four games in a row, that is when you start to doubt yourself. Then you start looking around. You wonder whether you need to make changes in the playing XI or do something differently. Punjab will want to win,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar urges MI to test young players
The former India opener said Mumbai Indians should use the remaining matches to test their bench strength and prepare for the next IPL season.
“As far as the Mumbai Indians go, I am a Mumbai Indians supporter. And now that they are out of contention for the playoffs, I would like to see them try some younger players. Who they leave out is for them and their management to decide. But they have some young players in their reserves, those who have not had an opportunity yet to prove their worth,” he said.
“Give them chances in the remaining three matches and see what they are like. That way, you will be better placed for the next season,” Gavaskar added.
Young players feature in MI squad
Youngsters including Raj Angad Bawa, Danish Malewar, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat and Raghu Sharma have all been part of the Mumbai Indians squad this season.
Squads for MI vs PBKS match
Mumbai Indians squad: Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Hardik Pandya, Keshav Maharaj, Ashwani Kumar, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Danish Malewar, Krish Bhagat and Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.
Punjab Kings squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash and Vishal Nishad.
(With ANI inputs)
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