The wait is almost over. IPL 2026 is set to get underway on March 28, and the excitement building around this edition is hard to miss. With ten teams, 84 matches, and a packed schedule spread across two phases, it promises to be the biggest IPL yet. Among the ten franchises gearing up for another shot at glory, Mumbai Indians (MI) always attract a special kind of attention. The five-time champions have not lifted the trophy since 2020, and with a squad packed full of stars, there is widespread belief that this could finally be their year again.
MI will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign at home against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium, and the buzz around their preparations has been impossible to ignore. However, not everyone is ready to give them a clean bill of health just yet. One legendary voice from the world of cricket has flagged a concern and it is one that MI fans would do well to pay attention to.
AB de Villiers names the weak link in MI bowling lineup
Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of IPL 2026, former South African batting great AB de Villiers pointed to left-arm pacer Trent Boult as his biggest worry for Mumbai Indians. De Villiers drew a comparison with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s decline in pace, saying Boult has lost a yard and is not as threatening as he was during his peak years between 2018 and 2020. He also noted that Boult has been leaking more runs of late, and warned that MI could be carrying a false sense of security when it comes to their bowling depth, adding that opposition batters may well identify this as an area to target.
It is a pointed observation from someone who understands the game at the highest level. The concern is not without merit either. While Boult was MI’s leading wicket-taker last season with 22 wickets, he conceded runs at an economy rate of almost nine, which in T20 cricket is a number that can hurt a team badly, especially in the middle overs and death.
Boult holds the record for the most wickets in the opening over of an IPL innings with 31, and his left-arm angle and ability to swing the new ball have long made him one of the most dangerous powerplay bowlers in the competition. But de Villiers’ point is that the version of Boult who was truly unplayable at the top of the innings is no longer quite the same threat he once was. If batters walk in with a game plan against him, that partnership with Jasprit Bumrah could look more vulnerable than it appears on paper.
“The one worry for me is Trent Boult. It’s similar to a Bhuvi situation, where he has lost a yard. He is not as spicy as he was from 2018 to 2020. He seems to be more expensive over the last while. MI probably feel they have a lot of insurance there, but maybe it’s a false sense of security. It could be an area some of the opposition batters will target,” said De Villiers.
Expectations high from the five-time champions
Despite the concern over Boult, Mumbai Indians on the whole look formidable heading into IPL 2026. Former India opener Abhinav Mukund described MI as a dominant force on paper, highlighting the number of in-form players in the squad and pointing to the addition of Quinton de Kock as a particularly strong move. He noted that the squad is so packed that even a player of Shardul Thakur’s quality may struggle to find a place in the playing eleven, which tells you everything about the depth available.
The batting lineup featuring Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and de Kock is among the most star-studded in the competition. If Bumrah is fully fit and fires alongside Boult and Deepak Chahar, MI have the firepower to go all the way. But de Villiers’ warning serves as a timely reminder on paper is one thing, and what actually happens out in the middle is another.
For a team that has not won the title in five years, the hunger is clearly there. Whether the bowling holds up over a long tournament will be one of the most interesting subplots of IPL 2026.
