The opening phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has been tough for the five-time champions, the Mumbai Indians. Under Hardik Pandya’s leadership, the franchise has now suffered its fourth consecutive loss, falling to the Punjab Kings at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. After the defeat, the 32-year-old did not hold back, delivering a blunt self-assessment and pointing fingers at the wider responsibilities within the setup. He said the onus must be shared by those at the top and that every individual involved has to raise their standards. Pandya also indicated that leadership must decide whether certain players deserve a final verdict or whether they should be allowed more time to find their rhythm.
Hardik’s comments quickly drew a sharp response from former India batter Manoj Tiwary, who took aim at the Mumbai Indians captain’s approach both in terms of leadership and the tactical errors made during the Punjab Kings contest. Tiwary argued that the captaincy and decision-making were not up to the mark, adding that the responsibility for the team’s situation cannot be brushed aside.
In the match at Mumbai, Punjab Kings chased down Mumbai’s target of 196 with seven wickets to spare and 21 balls remaining. The chase was anchored by half-century knocks from Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer, who helped Punjab turn the run chase into a controlled, pressure-free finish.
“From where will ownership come? You also have to look at yourself. You need to assess how you’re actually performing. In my view, just because you’re not getting results this season doesn’t mean the mistakes started only this year. You have to reach the root cause as well. Between 2015 and 2023, Rohit Sharma played a major role in helping Mumbai Indians win multiple trophies,” Tiwary said.
Tiwary continued his critique by stressing that the trophies have not been coming consistently for Mumbai. “In 2023, there was no trophy. In 2024, there was no trophy, and I feel the same could happen again this year. I also believe the captaincy has been weak. I don’t want to be unnecessarily harsh, but Hardik isn’t steering the team in the way it should. A captain has to be proactive,” he added.
Hand reins back to Rohit
Tiwary also suggested that a turnaround would require a leadership change, asserting that Hardik should step away from the captaincy role and hand the reins back to Rohit Sharma. He pointed to Rohit’s record with the franchise, highlighting that the former India opener has delivered five titles for Mumbai Indians.
Beyond leadership, Tiwary questioned batting and bowling calls made by Hardik during the Punjab Kings game. He criticised the decision to promote Hardik himself in the order even though Sherfane Rutherford was available. He also took issue with the bowling plan, particularly the choice to start the attack with Deepak Chahar despite the pacer struggling for rhythm and impact in recent matches.
“Hardik shouldn’t have moved himself up against Punjab Kings. He made 14 runs off 12 balls, while Sherfane Rutherford faced only five deliveries. If Rutherford had been given that many balls, I believe he could have cleared the ropes two, three, maybe even four times with sixes. Hardik thought he could do it, and yes, it’s possible he could,” Tiwary said.
“You should have pushed Rutherford higher. And secondly, there’s no sense in giving Jasprit Bumrah the second over if you aren’t willing to bowl him first. Deepak Chahar simply isn’t able to swing the ball. Shreyas Iyer showed excellent captaincy, but Mumbai Indians’ captaincy was very weak. If a solution is needed, Hardik should step back from the captaincy and return that responsibility to Rohit. When you removed Rohit, you did an injustice,” he added.
During the Punjab match, Hardik came in at No. 5 and managed 14 off 12 deliveries, including a single six. With the ball, he conceded 39 runs in three overs. It is also notable that Hardik took over as Mumbai Indians captain from Rohit Sharma in 2024. The 2026 season marks his third year in a row as the franchise leader. In 2024, Mumbai finished at the bottom, and in 2025 they progressed to Qualifier 2.
Hardik’s captaincy journey began with the Gujarat Titans, where he led the team to the title in 2022 and then guided them to the final the next year.
