With the Mumbai Indians winning only two of their first seven matches in the IPL 2026 campaign, Hardik Pandya has become a lightning rod for critics. The all-rounder is not only lacking runs with the bat and wickets with the ball but has also seen his captaincy credentials brought into question. Ravichandran Ashwin, the veteran Indian spinner, found it difficult to digest Pandya’s decision to invite Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to bat first in Thursday’s fixture. Ashwin pointed out that Pandya failed to learn from mistakes made against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), despite both matches being held on the same pitch.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin reminded viewers of the MI vs RCB game at the Wankhede Stadium. Under similar conditions, Mumbai never looked comfortable while chasing a target of 241. Against CSK, however, the collapse was even more pronounced as they were bowled out for just 104.
“I am slightly underwhelmed. Hardik Pandya won the toss and handed the advantage to a team that has only won matches in this tournament by batting first. Do you remember the first game the Mumbai Indians played? They lost in a similar fashion against RCB. In that game, RCB batted first and did what Chennai couldn’t quite manage today because of the difference in batting depth,” Ashwin noted.
“RCB has significant power hitting through to the end of the order, which allowed them to post a huge score. Chennai doesn’t have quite that much power, and Mumbai actually bowled slightly better today; Allah Ghazanfar and Ashwani Kumar performed well, and, of course, we can’t forget Bumrah. That is why they conceded 208, but Mumbai still couldn’t chase it down.”
Multiple Tactical Flaws By Hardik
For Ashwin, it was a tactical error to invite CSK to bat first, especially considering the precedent set by the RCB game. He asserted that opponents should almost always be made to bat second against high-scoring sides like the Super Kings or Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
“The pitch for that game and this game was exactly the same. Even then, Mumbai Indians failed to find any momentum; in the second innings, the surface became even stickier and slower. If you learn from the conditions, you realise that by winning the toss and bowling, you gave the advantage back to the CSK line-up. As I said, if you win the toss against SRH or CSK and there is no dew, you must make them bat second.”
Ashwin was also critical of the decision to hand the 20th over to rookie Krish Bhagat, despite Pandya having two overs of his own remaining. Bhagat subsequently conceded 16 runs in the final over.
“Look, I don’t have a personal relationship with Hardik, but I have always viewed him as a ‘Box Office’ player. It is easy to pick on him now. Regarding today, giving the ball to Krish Bhagat at the death-I know he went for 28 or 38 runs in his two overs-but a man who bowled to David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen in a T20 World Cup final should be bowling those overs himself. Krish Bhagat lacks that experience. I liked Krish; he bowled okay, but as a captain, you should shoulder that pressure. What is the worst that can happen? You go for runs? So be it.”
Captaincy Pressure On Hardik?
When asked if captaincy pressure was affecting Pandya’s individual performance, Ashwin suggested that the context of his appointment cannot be ignored, referencing the backlash following the replacement of Rohit Sharma.
“Let’s look back. In 2020, the Mumbai Indians won the IPL and were the best team. Then they went two years without a title. Hardik Pandya then went to the Gujarat Titans, where he won one title and finished as runner-up in another. Clearly, this man knows how to win; it isn’t new to him.
“But we must consider what happened after he returned to Mumbai via a trade. It isn’t just about results; it is a lot for one individual to handle. To come in and replace Rohit Sharma, a legend of the game, and then get booed by your own fans in your own stadium… that is an immense emotional burden. I won’t point fingers at the fans, but that is a great deal to deal with.”
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