MI playoff exit unmasks thin squad depth

Mumbai Indians crashed out of IPL playoffs after RCB chased 167 on the last ball at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took four for 23 -- economy at 5.75, which stood out amid the chaos -- and smashed the winning six. Krunal Pandya anchored with 73 off 46 balls from 39 for three. MI managed 166 for seven with Tilak Varma's 57 off 42 the best knock. Eight defeats in 11 matches tell the story.

Coach Mahela Jayawardene pointed to injuries hitting Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Mitchell Santner -- all core players. Lineups shuffled every game. Rookies like Raj Angad Bawa bowled the final over at 13 an over. Inconsistencies piled up, but the real issue runs deeper. Franchises pack stars yet skimp on redundancy. One hamstring pull and the whole deck collapses. RCB proved depth works -- Jacob Bethell steadied with 27 off 27, Hazlewood took one for 33.

MI defended their final-over bowler despite the loss. Jayawardene called the season disappointing. Squad architecture demands more than injury talk. Build layers or watch stars sit idle. Playoffs reward teams that plan for absences, not ones that pray for fitness. RCB surged to the top table. MI head home early.