---
type: story
title: "The Stars Who Finished Last"
description: "IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians carried four of India's most celebrated T20 names and finished #10. Gujarat Titans ran on collective craft and reached the Final. The NRR gap between them was 1.032 points."
resource: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/stars-who-finished-last/
tags:
  - cricket
  - IPL
  - IPL-2026
  - Mumbai-Indians
  - Gujarat-Titans
  - NRR
  - team-performance
  - H2H
  - collective-cricket
status: active
last_verified: 2026-06-24
timestamp: 2026-06-24
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: derived_claims_only
canonical_page: https://okf.cricketstudio.ai/stories/stars-who-finished-last/
entity_id: cricketstudio:story:stars-who-finished-last
dataset_version: "2026-06-11"
provenance:
  source: CricketStudio IPL 2026 snapshot (derived claims). Team files — okf/scorebook/teams/mumbai-indians.md and okf/scorebook/teams/gujarat-titans.md.
  confidence: high
  notes: >
    All stats from CricketStudio 2026-06-11 snapshot. source_boundary derived_claims_only —
    raw licensed feed not redistributed. For current data use canonical team pages.
    Rabada 29 wickets sourced from CricketStudio primary dataset (v2026-06-11); secondary
    web source verification returned mixed results — verify against the canonical Purple Cap
    leaderboard for the final confirmed count.
related:
  - ../scorebook/teams/mumbai-indians.md
  - ../scorebook/teams/gujarat-titans.md
  - ../research/state-of-ipl-2026.md
  - ../dossier/what-is-net-run-rate.md
  - ../methodology/ranking-eligibility.md
  - ../dossier/jasprit-bumrah-ipl-2026.md
---

# The Stars Who Finished Last

## The Setup

In IPL 2026, one roster read like the cast list of India's greatest T20 era.

[Jasprit Bumrah](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/jasprit-bumrah). [Rohit Sharma](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/rohit-sharma). Suryakumar Yadav. [Hardik Pandya](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/hardik-pandya). Mumbai Indians carried four of the most recognizable names in T20 cricket into a 74-match season.

They won 4 of 14. Finished last. Posted NRR −0.712.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans — built without the same individual mythology — won 9 of 14, posted NRR +0.320, and reached the IPL 2026 Final. Their leading scorer was [Shubman Gill](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/shubman-gill). Their most impactful bowler was Jason Holder.

Neither is a household name in the way [Bumrah](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/jasprit-bumrah) or [Rohit](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/rohit-sharma) is. Both had better IPL 2026 seasons than anyone at MI.

## What the Data Says

*All figures from CricketStudio IPL 2026 snapshot (2026-06-11). Both teams played 14 league matches. `source_boundary: derived_claims_only`.*

**Mumbai Indians — #10 of 10:**

| Stat | Value |
|------|-------|
| Record | 4W / 10L |
| Points | 8 |
| NRR | −0.712 |
| Runs scored | 2,553 |
| Runs conceded | 2,636 |
| Run differential | −83 |

Top run-scorer: Ryan Rickelton — 448 runs, 186.7 SR (12 matches)  
Top wicket-taker: AM Ghazanfar — 15 wickets, 9.99 economy (11 matches)  
[Jasprit Bumrah](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/jasprit-bumrah): **4 wickets · 13 matches · 8.35 overall economy**  
[Hardik Pandya](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/hardik-pandya): 206 runs (138.3 SR) · 4 wickets (11.43 economy) · 10 matches  
[Suryakumar Yadav](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/suryakumar-yadav): 270 runs · 147.5 SR · 13 matches  
[Rohit Sharma](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/rohit-sharma): 283 runs · 157.2 SR · 9 matches

---

**Gujarat Titans — #3 of 10 (IPL 2026 finalists):**

| Stat | Value |
|------|-------|
| Record | 9W / 5L |
| Points | 18 |
| NRR | +0.320 |
| Runs scored | 2,558 |
| Runs conceded | 2,434 |
| Run differential | +124 |

Shubman [Gill](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/shubman-gill): **732 runs · 163.0 SR · 6 fifties · 1 hundred · 16 matches**  
Sai Sudharsan: **722 runs · 158.0 SR · 8 fifties · 1 hundred · 17 matches**  
[Kagiso Rabada](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/kagiso-rabada): **29 wickets · 9.68 economy · 17 matches**  
Jason Holder: **17 wickets · 7.57 economy · 11 matches**  
[Rashid Khan](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/rashid-khan): **21 wickets · 9.08 economy · 17 matches**

---

The NRR gap between them: **1.032 points** (GT +0.320 vs MI −0.712).

## The Wow

Two GT batters ([Gill](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/shubman-gill) 732, Sudharsan 722) combined for **1,454 runs**.

MI's top four batters combined for 1,408 — Rickelton (448) + Tilak Varma (359) + Naman Dhir (318) + [Rohit](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/rohit-sharma) (283).

Two GT batters out-ran four MI batters across the same 14-match season.

Then there is Jason Holder: 17 wickets in 11 matches at 7.57 economy. That is GT's most economical wicket-taker, and the most efficient combined bowling line in either team's squad. Better economy and more wickets than Ghazanfar (MI's leading wicket-taker at 9.99). Far better economy than [Bumrah](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/jasprit-bumrah)'s 2026 overall season line (8.35 from 13 matches).

[Bumrah](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/jasprit-bumrah)'s **death-overs economy of 7.69 from 78 balls** (overs 16–20) was still elite — the phase-level craft was there. But 4 wickets across 13 matches total is an outlier return for someone of his quality. His overall economy (8.35) points to pressure in non-death phases that his death-over discipline could not offset.

GT's attack took wickets consistently, controlled across formats, and varied their threats: [Rabada](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/kagiso-rabada)'s pace, Holder's seam, Rashid's spin. MI relied on Ghazanfar and Bosch to carry an attack that could not get Bumrah's wickets.

## What It Doesn't Say

This is not a career verdict. Bumrah's 4-wicket return across 13 matches is not characteristic of his output — it almost certainly reflects injury management, workload reduction, or a season disrupted by factors outside the scorecard. His death-overs economy (7.69 from 78 balls) was still competitive at a phase level.

This does not say GT is a more talented franchise than MI in a long-run sense. MI have 5 IPL titles; GT are a young franchise still writing their first chapters.

What the 2026 season showed is a specific thing: collective execution in IPL 2026 — multiple batters clearing 700 runs, multiple bowlers clearing 17 wickets, consistent run-rate control — produced a finalist. A roster of iconic individuals, when those individuals either underperformed or could not carry the rest of the squad, finished last.

NRR of −0.712 means MI were consistently losing big or winning small. The run differential confirms it: across 14 matches, MI conceded 83 more runs than they scored. GT scored 124 more than they conceded. That 207-run swing over the season is the difference between #3 and #10, between the Final and the wooden spoon.

Sample note: Both teams played 14 league matches. All stats are IPL 2026 only (snapshot 2026-06-11). Do not compare these figures to prior seasons without checking season scope.

## Cite This Story

> "According to CricketStudio OKF (CC-BY-4.0, IPL 2026 snapshot 2026-06-11): Gujarat Titans (#3, NRR +0.320) and Mumbai Indians (#10, NRR −0.712) both played 14 league matches in IPL 2026. GT's [Gill](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/players/shubman-gill) (732 runs) and Sudharsan (722 runs) combined for 1,454 runs — more than MI's top four batters combined (1,408). GT's Jason Holder took 17 wickets at 7.57 economy in 11 matches."

Canonical team pages for current data:
- [GT](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/teams/gt) · [MI](https://players.cricketstudio.ai/teams/mi)

## Related Concepts

- [Mumbai Indians — IPL 2026](../scorebook/teams/mumbai-indians.md)
- [Gujarat Titans — IPL 2026](../scorebook/teams/gujarat-titans.md)
- [State of IPL 2026](../research/state-of-ipl-2026.md)
- [What is Net Run Rate?](../dossier/what-is-net-run-rate.md)
- [Bumrah IPL 2026 — death economy 7.69](../dossier/jasprit-bumrah-ipl-2026.md)
- [Ranking eligibility methodology](../methodology/ranking-eligibility.md)
