Former Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh has stepped in to defend Hardik Pandya amid fresh criticism aimed at the MI captain. Mumbai suffered their fifth loss of IPL 2026 on Thursday, falling to Chennai Super Kings by 103 runs. With Sanju Samson in ruthless touch, it looked like almost nothing was clicking for Hardik’s side.
Quick facts
- Match: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings (IPL 2026)
- Result: CSK won by 103 runs
- MI record after the game: fifth defeat
- CSK total: 207/6 in 20 overs
- Sanju Samson: 101* off 54 balls (10 fours, 6 sixes), strike rate 187.04
- MI top scores: Suryakumar Yadav 36, Tilak Varma 37
- MI trouble: three batters out for 0; Hardik scored 1 off 2 balls
- MI standing: eighth in a ten-team table (two wins, five defeats)
- Key bowling note: Jasprit Bumrah took 2 wickets in 7 matches
Samson set the tone early and never let the CSK momentum slip. The opener finished unbeaten on 101, smashing 10 boundaries and six maximums off 54 deliveries, maintaining a strike rate of 187.04. His century came on the final ball of the first innings as he clubbed a six, lifting Chennai to 207/6 in their 20 overs.
When Mumbai came out to chase, the chase collapsed quickly. Only Suryakumar Yadav, with 36, and Tilak Varma, with 37, managed double-digit scores as the rest of the batting line struggled to build partnerships. Three MI batters were dismissed for ducks, and Hardik himself had a bleak day with the bat—he made just one run from two balls before being dismissed by Noor Ahmed.
Robin Singh, who previously worked with the franchise setup in earlier years, pushed back on the growing tendency to single out the skipper. Posting on X, he asked fans and pundits to stop turning the captain into the only scapegoat, pointing out that teammates also failed to deliver. He wrote that blaming just the captain for the collapse is “quite impossible,” especially for someone who has been part of the management earlier.
In the same post, Singh questioned the approach of the batting group once the chase is in front of them. He asked what is going on with proven international batters when they have a target, stressing that every player has to contribute to keeping the required run rate alive. He also raised a pointed question about who is deciding to chase repeatedly after winning the toss—arguing that the current plan is clearly not working.
MI’s season pressure mounts
After the loss, Mumbai sit eighth in the ten-team table, with five defeats and only two wins to show. The margin for error is shrinking fast, and the franchise needs an immediate correction in results. Tilak Varma has been their leading run-getter this season with 181 runs, a return that underlines how much the batting department has underperformed overall.
The numbers from Suryakumar Yadav are similarly concerning, with the India captain managing 157 runs so far. Even the bowling department has not provided consistent breakthroughs—Jasprit Bumrah, MI’s leading pacer, has taken only two wickets across seven games. With both departments under pressure, the team’s turnaround will have to start quickly.
Hardik also addressed the defeat after the match, admitting that MI should have batted better. “They batted well, they scored 207,” he said. “It was the same track, it is the same soil. We should have just batted well.”
