New Delhi: Mumbai Indians’ (MI) ongoing struggles in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 have opened the floodgates of criticism for captain Hardik Pandya. With just two wins in their first seven matches of the season, MI are languishing in the eighth spot on the points table, barely staying up in the race for the playoffs. While MI have been a collective failure, Hardik has been at the centre of the criticism.
The star all-rounder, who rejoined the Mumbai Indians in an all-cash trade deal from the Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2024, has endured a difficult captaincy tenure ever since replacing Rohit Sharma. He failed to find the support of some of his own teammates and the fans in his debut season as captain, as MI failed to reach the playoffs.
Hardik helped the Gujarat Titans win their maiden title in their debut season in 2022 and led them to a second consecutive final in 2023, where they lost to the Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller. He also led India exceptionally well and was expected to continue his stellar leadership run at MI. However, nothing seems to be going right for the star all-rounder at present.
After reaching the playoffs last season under his captaincy, MI were expected to build further as they search for their first title since 2020. However, IPL 2026 has proved to be an eye-opener as the five-time champions continue to struggle for consistency. While Hardik has coped with the majority of criticism for his poor form with the bat and overall captaincy, he shouldn’t be made a scapegoat for MI’s poor run.
Hardik has so far managed only 97 runs in six innings for MI in what has been a disappointing season. However, the poor returns from proven international stars like Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma haven’t helped his case. Rohit Sharma’s injury, which saw him miss MI’s last three games, has also played a major role in the franchise’s struggles.
Tilak has so far notched up 181 runs in 7 matches for MI in IPL 2026, including a match-winning 101 against GT. Barring his ton, the left-hander has failed to produce anything special in the season so far. Suryakumar, on the other hand, has managed only 157 runs in 7 games at an average of over 22.
The trio of Hardik, Tilak and Suryakumar failed to deliver as MI were skittled out for a paltry 104 in a 208-run chase to suffer a crushing 103-run defeat against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in their last game. CSK handed MI their biggest defeat in the IPL, leading to intense criticism for Hardik. However, former MI coach Robin Singh has come out in support of the star all-rounder.
Ex-MI coach explains why Hardik shouldn’t be made scapegoat
Former India cricketer Robin Singh, who was part of the Mumbai Indians’ coaching setup for several years, defended Hardik amid the team’s woeful run. Questioning the proven international batters in the squad, Robin asked why they were failing to deliver. He also criticised MI’s decision to chase after winning the toss and said the strategy is clearly not working.
“Seeing the fallout of comments after @mipaltan MI’s loss vs CSK at the @IPL last night .. and having been part of their management until few years ago .. I feel it is quite impossible to blame just the captain for this debacle,” Robin wrote in a tweet.
“What’s up with proven international batsmen with the target in front of them ?? Are they not supposed to keep the run rate achievable?? That’s the role of each and every player. So who decides to chase all the time upon winning the toss? For clearly it’s not working,” he added.
The former Mumbai Indians assistant coach also asked why players like Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, who have all captained at the international level, are not advising Pandya when he is struggling with captaincy. He also pointed out that the majority of decisions at MI are made in the dressing room, so Hardik shouldn’t get blamed entirely for the team’s disastrous show.
“Agreed there were poor decisions made by the captain but There are so many international captains in the team … why can’t they go up to him and advise ?? So if a captain has a poor season the whole team has an excuse to collectively collapse as well ?? And in this team a lot of plans are made in the Team room,” Robin added.
Seeing the fallout of comments after @mipaltan MI’s loss vs CSK at the @IPL last night .. and having been part of their management until few years ago .. I feel it is quite impossible to blame just the captain for this debacle.
What’s up with proven international batsmen with…— Robin Singh (@robinsingh1409) April 24, 2026