The dismal state of the Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026 has been a shock to everyone, and Hardik Pandya’s appointment as captain back in 2024 has been at the forefront of the discussion among fans and experts.
A team comprising Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Mitchell Santner, and Trent Boult, the five-time champions have flattered to deceive, with only a few individual brilliances helping them to four victories out of 13 league stage matches.
This means that for the sixth consecutive season, MI will have failed to reach an IPL final. And, for two seasons out of three under Pandya’s captaincy, MI will not have qualified for the playoffs.
You brought in Hardik Pandya who had gone elsewhere: Murali Kartik criticises MI
Meanwhile, former India spinner Murali Kartik has come down hard on the think-tank at the Mumbai Indians. Kartik criticized and expressed bafflement at MI’s decision to replace Rohit with Hardik as the skipper.
The commentator also pointed out that MI had not retained Hardik ahead of the mega auction in 2022, when Pandya was then roped in by the Gujarat Titans, whom he led to the IPL trophy in their maiden season and a runners-up finish in the second season before being traded in by MI.
Speaking with Cribuzz, Murali Kartik said, “You brought in someone who had gone elsewhere. You hadn’t retained him… The problem is where you brought him from and how it made the others feel inside the dressing room. That matters a lot.”
Kartik felt the appointment of Hardik as captain might not have sat well with the likes of Suryakumar and Bumrah.
“Suryakumar Yadav must have also felt that ‘I am the captain of India but not of Mumbai Indians.’ Jasprit Bumrah must have thought that when the whole world praises me and I can captain India, then why not Mumbai?
“And the biggest thing: everyone else was retained, but Hardik wasn’t. So you had already lost the dressing room from the beginning. This is my opinion because I observe dressing room dynamics closely. It’s not about the players not trying. Ultimately, everyone plays for their pride, but when the jigsaw puzzle doesn’t fit properly, cracks remain somewhere,” he added.
Currently, Hardik’s unit is fighting to avoid the wooden spoon, with Lucknow Super Giants also sitting with 8 points and a game in hand.
Mumbai’s last league stage match is on May 24 against the Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium.
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