Simon Doull believes Mumbai Indians’ struggles in IPL 2026 are not solely linked to Hardik Pandya. MI suffered a further setback on Wednesday, slipping to their sixth defeat of the season. The match had looked poised for a Mumbai turnaround after Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 123 helped the side reach 243/5 in 20 overs.
Quick facts
- Match result: Sunrisers Hyderabad won by six wickets.
- MI innings: 243/5 in 20 overs, powered by Ryan Rickelton’s 123* off 55 balls.
- SRH chase: Abhishek Sharma scored 45 and Travis Head made 76; Heinrich Klaasen contributed 65*.
- Key overs: Hardik bowled a top-edged four and then a six after SRH’s chase momentum swung in their favour.
- Bowling for MI: Jasprit Bumrah finished wicketless, conceding 54 runs in four overs (economy 13.50).
- Notable dismissals: Ishan Kishan was out for a golden duck; Suryakumar Yadav managed five off five before being dismissed; Tilak Varma made seven off five.
However, Sunrisers Hyderabad turned the chase into a comfortable pursuit. Abhishek Sharma struck 45 and Travis Head struck 76 to set up a strong start, putting MI under immediate pressure. Even after Kishan’s unexpected dismissal for a golden duck, SRH kept their tempo high throughout the innings.
Heinrich Klaasen played the anchor role in the middle, finishing unbeaten on 65*. He stitched important partnerships with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 21, and Salil Arora, who struck 30* while accelerating when opportunities arrived. Arora faced only 10 deliveries in the game, and by the time the 19th over began—when he managed to keep the strike—he had already faced six balls, underlining how quickly SRH closed out the chase.
The turning point in the chase came when Hardik decided to bowl and was punished early. He conceded a top-edged four on the first ball, and then surrendered a six struck over wide long-on. Hardik answered with a dot, but the pattern didn’t change: he was again struck for a six, pulled over midwicket, as SRH finally sealed victory with six wickets in hand.
MI’s batting and bowling under pressure
Jasprit Bumrah, despite being the headline name in MI’s attack, finished without a wicket. He gave away 54 runs in four overs and ended with an economy rate of 13.50. MI’s early batting also offered little resistance to SRH’s bowlers, with Suryakumar Yadav producing only five runs from five balls before losing his wicket to Eshan Malinga.
Tilak Varma also struggled for timing, registering just seven off five deliveries. Rickelton, though, was exceptional at the top, smashing 123* off 55 balls. His innings included 10 fours and eight sixes, with a strike rate of 223.64, and he stayed unbeaten from start to finish.
“It’s a very difficult room, it’s full of alphas,” Doull said, reflecting on the larger environment around MI.
Doull questions leadership and the decision-making at the top
After the match, Doull argued that the blame should not be placed only on Hardik. He suggested that MI’s upper management and ownership played a role in the leadership changes, pointing to the decision to appoint Hardik as captain and move on from Rohit Sharma. In Doull’s view, the MI dressing room contains several high-profile players, including individuals who have captained India.
Doull said the accountability should be spread across the structure, starting from performance issues and moving through leadership and the hierarchy above it. He noted that while one season can be treated as a temporary dip, the pattern over multiple years becomes a serious concern. “That’s time for change,” he added.
He also used a metaphor to describe Hardik’s return and the challenge it created within the group. Doull suggested that when MI were at their peak, the leadership environment resembled a pride of lions, with Hardik initially playing a supporting role. But after he left and succeeded in a different setup at Gujarat Titans, Doull believes the attempt to reclaim the top leadership position on his return didn’t produce the desired outcome.
Doull went further, arguing that responsibility must ultimately reach the very top because the decision-making came from there. He said Hardik was given responsibility and returned into an environment that had already been successful, but the dressing room now includes “four blokes” who can each claim to be the “king,” given their experience as captains at various stages for their countries. In that context, he described MI’s room as “a very difficult room” when results are not going well.
“The ownership, director of cricket, and manager have got to take the responsibility for what has happened in the last three years,” Doull added, tying MI’s current crisis to longer-term decisions rather than a single captain or one match.
