Being a skipper of a franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) comes with immense fandom and attention. Still, it is far from all glamour, as captains often face heavy criticism and scrutiny over decisions that can become the fine margins between a failed and successful campaign. Hardik Pandya, the current captain of the Mumbai Indians, has experienced both sides of it since transitioning from being just a player to leading a team in the IPL. On one side, he witnessed the highs during his captaincy tenure with the Gujarat Titans, where he led the franchise to back-to-back IPL finals and even won the championship in their debut season in 2022. On the other hand, he has endured a turbulent and highly scrutinised journey with the MI setup since returning to the franchise in 2024, replacing the long-standing and successful leadership tenure of Rohit Sharma.
Hardik had an underwhelming debut season with MI, finishing at the bottom of the table in 2024 with just 4 wins, but he made a notable improvement, giving hope to the loyal Mumbaikars after qualifying for the playoffs in 2025. However, they were knocked out by the dominant Punjab Kings side led by Shreyas Iyer. Things have only gotten worse for Hardik in 2026, with a massive dip in his individual performances and constant questionable on-field decisions that have raised alarms about his leadership, prompting rumours of possible replacements for the upcoming season. Under his leadership, MI won only 2 of the 9 matches he captained, with the team winning twice in the 3 matches he missed through injury under two different leaders, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, who announced his captaincy debut with a statement win against PBKS on May 14.
Despite the ongoing trade rumours and captaincy replacement talks, Hardik finally found some backing from his former national teammate and expert commentator Ravichandran Ashwin, who highlighted that it is unfair to blame only Hardik for MI’s struggles this season while also giving credibility to his championship-winning tenure with GT.
“Honestly, when you have seasons like this, to pin the blame on the captain is quite unfair. Nobody has turned up. The team has failed to turn up, and for Hardik to take the blame on himself is… you’re asking him to do a little too much. He was there with the Gujarat Titans. Had two fabulous seasons. So clearly, as a leader, he did something right there,” Ashwin said on ESPNcricinfo.
What more did Ashwin say?
Ashwin also remarked on the bravery shown by Hardik in returning to the MI setup as the new skipper, knowing the fandom and risks involved in replacing the highly successful MI and Indian T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit. Under Rohit, the team cemented its place as favourites to win every season, winning five championship titles between 2013 and 2023, maintaining a 100% win record in IPL finals, and becoming the joint-most successful captain in IPL history alongside MS Dhoni of Chennai Super Kings.
“When he returned to the Mumbai Indians, he had to deal with quite a bit. It’s not easy to replace an incumbent Indian captain, white-ball captain, such as Rohit Sharma. Five [six] titles in the IPL. He’s won a T20 World Cup. And Hardik comes and replaces him. You’ve got a lot of fandom going around in the country. You should have a thick skin to survive social media these days,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin further highlighted that although some debatable calls were made by Hardik over the season, MI’s bowling department has been a major letdown, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult also experiencing dips in form through inconsistent wicket-taking and the bowling lineup leaking too many runs overall.
“Bowling has leaked [runs in] every direction. Every single time an over is bowled for six or seven runs, in comes a 15-run over. So what do you do as a captain? And sure, he’s made some calls that have been debatable. [But] captaincy is the result of how your team is making you look. So which is why I believe when you have a good season, don’t give too much credit to a captain. When you have a bad season, don’t pin it on him,” Ashwin concluded.
Though it remains to be seen what the future holds for Hardik in this MI setup, it is important to remember his match-winning abilities in the past for both franchise and country. A bit of backing from the team management, along with a shift in momentum and confidence, could still spark a revival in his tenure.
