Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has found himself at the centre of growing criticism after a rough start to the IPL 2026 campaign. The five-time champions have managed only a single win from their first five matches, leaving them sitting second from the bottom of the points table. Their latest setback came on Thursday, when they were outplayed at home by Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings (PBKS), a result that extended MI’s slide to a fourth defeat of the season. MI’s only victory so far this term arrived against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has been particularly forthright in his assessment of Hardik’s captaincy, suggesting that the problems have persisted since he took over the role. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Tiwary argued that leadership cannot be viewed only through the lens of one season’s outcomes. He pointed out that struggles often have deeper causes and should be examined beyond the immediate lack of results. Tiwary also referenced the period when Rohit Sharma was steering the franchise, saying Rohit’s contributions from 2015 to 2023 were tied to MI’s trophy-rich run.
Tiwary then called for Hardik to step away from the captaincy and hand the responsibility back to Rohit. He stressed that the team’s recent seasons have brought no silverware and suggested that the current approach is not delivering what is needed. In his view, the captaincy has not been proactive enough, and he felt the franchise made an error when Rohit was removed from the leadership position. Tiwary noted that between 2013 and 2023, Rohit had led MI to five titles, underscoring how significant leadership continuity has been for the franchise.
Alongside the leadership debate, Tiwary also criticised Hardik’s tactical decisions in the loss to PBKS. He focused first on Hardik’s batting promotion during the chase, arguing that the captain’s decision to move himself up the order came at the cost of momentum and strike rotation for the rest of the lineup. Tiwary highlighted that Hardik made 14 runs off 12 balls, while Sherfane Rutherford faced only five deliveries. In Tiwary’s opinion, if Rutherford had been given a larger share of balls, the right-hander could have turned the contest with additional big hits, potentially swinging the pressure back in MI’s favour.
Tiwary further questioned the bowling plan, specifically the choice to open the attack with Deepak Chahar despite the pacer’s recent struggles. He argued that if the plan is to work through Jasprit Bumrah early, it does not make sense to give Bumrah the second over while the first over lacks the same impact. Tiwary’s view was blunt: Deepak Chahar, in the current phase, is not able to generate the swing needed to set up the innings from the outset.
