India, June 2 -- The Mumbai Indians are out of IPL 2025. No fairytale finish, no sixth title. Despite their stunning comeback in the second half of the season, MI came up a little bit short, as a loss to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 ended their journey. Hardik Pandya was crestfallen, owner Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani heartbroken, and while one should take nothing away from their resilient recovery to make it to the Playoffs, the fact remains they were outplayed by a better team. A much better team.

What could have let the Mumbai Indians down? Was it Trent Boult's dropped catch of Nehal Wadhera? Or the fact that they didn't put enough runs on the board? Or. there's a third - because Hardik Pandya's captaincy was not up to the mark? Well, ...