New Delhi: Mumbai Indians endured a disappointing IPL 2026 season. The five-time champions, who won every title under former captain Rohit Sharma, have exited the playoffs after registering just four wins and eight defeats in 12 matches.
One of the major talking points surrounding Mumbai Indians’ poor season is the form of captain Hardik Pandya, who has been struggling with the bat. Pandya has scored 146 runs in eight games at an average of 20.85 and a strike rate of 136.44.
As criticism mounts over his batting and captaincy, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of the all-rounder, saying it is unfair to put the blame entirely on him.
“I won’t look back at his captaincy this year at all. Honestly, it’s quite unfair to put the blame on the captain when you have a season like this. No one showed up, the team didn’t show up. And for Hardik to put the blame on himself is a bit much. He had two fantastic seasons with the Gujarat Titans,” Ashwin told ESPNCricinfo.
Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians in 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma as captain. Pandya had been part of the Mumbai Indians from 2015 to 2021 before moving to Gujarat Titans in 2022. He led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season in 2022 and took them to the finals again in 2023.
Ashwin feels that replacing a very successful captain like Rohit Sharma is no easy task. Rohit led Mumbai Indians to IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, making himself one of the most successful captains in the league.
Pandya’s appointment as MI captain in 2024 also triggered a strong reaction from fans, with the all-rounder facing boos during the season.
“Obviously, as a leader, he did something there (Gujarat Titans). When he came back to Mumbai Indians, he had to deal with a lot of things. It’s not easy to replace the current India white-ball captain like Rohit Sharma. He won five IPL titles, won the T20 World Cup and Hardik came in and replaced him. You have a lot of fans across the country,” Ashwin said.
“You need a thick skin these days to survive on social media. I think he’s been through quite a bit in his personal life as well. I wouldn’t judge his captaincy too much because the bowling also leaked runs in all directions. Every time over six or seven, 15 runs followed. So. What do you do as a captain? Of course, he made some controversial calls. There was a short boundary on the leg at one point. You don’t want to bowl the 20th ball from that end and when the game starts, those things can happen.”
After Pandya took charge, Mumbai Indians failed to qualify for the 2024 playoffs. They bounced back in 2025 and reached Qualifier 2, but lost to Kings XI Punjab. However, the team once again missed the playoffs in the 2026 season.
“Captainship often depends on how your team sees you. That’s why I believe when you have a good season, don’t give too much credit to the captain. And when you have a bad season, don’t blame everything on him,” Ashwin said.
