Former Mumbai Indians batting coach Robin Singh has rallied behind captain Hardik Pandya after MI’s heavy defeat to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026 on Thursday. The loss came by 103 runs, and Singh argued that the captain can’t be made the lone scapegoat for a team-wide collapse.
CSK’s big total after Samson’s late century
Chennai set the tone with a batting display that left MI chasing an unmanageable target. Sanju Samson played a match-defining innings, finishing unbeaten on 101 off 54 deliveries. His knock featured 10 boundaries and six maximums, with a strike rate of 187.04.
Samson completed his century in dramatic fashion, reaching the milestone on the final ball of the innings by clearing the ropes for a six. CSK ultimately posted 207/6 from their 20 overs.
MI crumble in the chase
When MI came out to bat, their innings quickly slipped away. Only Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma managed to build meaningful scores, with Yadav making 36 and Varma contributing 37.
Three batters were dismissed for duck, underlining the extent of the top-order failure. Hardik Pandya also struggled to get going, scoring just one run off two balls before being dismissed by Noor Ahmad.
Robin Singh defends Hardik and widens the blame
After the match, Singh shared his views on X, pushing back against criticism aimed solely at the captain. He said it was unfair to pin the defeat on Hardik alone, particularly given he had been part of MI’s setup earlier.
In his post, Singh wrote that it is “quite impossible to blame just the captain” for the “debacle” following the MI loss to CSK. He also questioned the expectation around international batters when a chase is in front of them.
- Singh said it is unrealistic to expect the run rate to be managed if players with proven international experience fail to keep the chase on track.
- He asked why the team repeatedly ends up chasing when the toss goes in its favour, adding that the approach “is not working”.
- He acknowledged there were “poor decisions” attributed to the captain, but argued that other international captains in the squad should be willing to advise.
- He further suggested that if a captain has a poor run, it should not become a licence for the entire group to collectively collapse.
- Singh noted that “a lot of plans are made in the Team room,” implying support systems and internal guidance should also play a role during a chase.
MI’s standings and key season stats
The defeat has left Mumbai in a difficult position in the league table. MI are eighth in the 10-team points standings, having recorded two wins and suffered five losses, and they will need to respond quickly.
- Tilak Varma is MI’s leading run-scorer this season with 181 runs, reflecting the struggles of the batting unit.
- Suryakumar Yadav, the India captain, has scored 157 runs so far.
- Bowling has also been a concern: Jasprit Bumrah has taken only two wickets across seven matches.
With the campaign continuing, MI’s challenge will be to rebuild quickly—both in batting consistency and in bowling impact—after a defeat that exposed gaps across the innings.
