IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians just can’t catch the right track with Hardik Pandya at the helm. The team, once unstoppable, has really lost its spark since he took over as captain in 2024. Sure, there was hope last season, but now, as IPL 2026 rolls on, Mumbai is slipping again. Hardik’s choices keep getting picked apart, and veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t hold back and he openly criticized one of Hardik’s calls, frustrated with how things are going.
Ashwin’s displeasure stems from the match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. Mumbai bowled first and Hardik himself conceded 38 runs in his two overs. So, when it came to bowling the final over of the innings, instead of taking the responsibility himself, Hardik handed the ball to young pacer Krish Bhagat, who was only playing in his second match and had also conceded 15 runs in his first over. In such a situation, hardly anyone would have expected him to bowl the final over.
Ravi Ashwin criticized Hardik Pandya
Hardik’s decision proved to be wrong, and Krish Bhagat conceded 16 runs. Ashwin criticized Hardik for this decision in a YouTube video. He said, “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.”
In this match played at the Wankhede Stadium, Chennai defeated hosts Mumbai by a record margin of 103 runs. This is Mumbai’s biggest defeat in the IPL. Hardik failed in both batting and bowling in this match. This season, Mumbai has only two wins from seven matches, while losing five. The team is currently in eighth place in the points table, and the playoff race has become difficult for them.
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