Former India batter Sadagoppan Ramesh has taken Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya to task, alleging that the all-rounder hasn’t been bold or consistent enough to address MI’s troubles during IPL 2026. Ramesh’s comments come as the five-time champions sit on the brink of a group-stage exit, having managed only two wins from nine league matches.
Ramesh further claimed that Hardik’s impact has been lacking in all departments, noting that the MI skipper has produced 146 runs while also taking just four wickets in the tournament. In Ramesh’s view, the squad needs a captain who leads from the front rather than waiting for others to fix problems.
“He wants to stay back and let others sort out the issues. People in a team are smart—they will understand whether the captain is truly guiding them from the front or just hiding behind. If a captain stays behind, the players will never give their best for him,” Ramesh said on Star Sports Tamil.
He added that, while it’s one thing for a player to underperform, captaincy brings a bigger responsibility—especially in high-pressure moments. “It’s one thing to fail as a player, but Hardik as a captain isn’t stepping up during crises. Instead, he sends other people to correct things before he comes in himself. You’re defending a target of 160, and you only start bowling after 85 runs have already been put on the board. This is the same guy who helped India win the World Cup by bowling the key overs under Rohit. Rohit used Hardik brilliantly in tense situations. Hardik himself used to do it for GT, but for MI he isn’t doing it,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh also criticised Suryakumar Yadav’s current form, while suggesting that Hardik’s shortcomings have been partly masked by a larger run of poor results. “Hardik Pandya gets two chances in a match—batting and bowling. Many people point to Suryakumar Yadav’s struggles to defend Hardik. But while Surya is not delivering with the bat, Hardik is also not contributing in batting and bowling. His strike rate has been very poor in this IPL, and he has also conceded runs with the ball,” he said.
Ramesh concluded by saying that Hardik’s tactical use of the bowling unit, particularly during the powerplay, has also been questionable. “Hardik Pandya is also using the bowlers badly in the powerplay,” he added.
