{"id":3511,"date":"2026-04-18T08:15:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/irfan-pathan-slams-hardiks-captaincy-as-mi-succumb-to-punjab-kings"},"modified":"2026-04-18T08:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:15:09","slug":"irfan-pathan-slams-hardiks-captaincy-as-mi-succumb-to-punjab-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/irfan-pathan-slams-hardiks-captaincy-as-mi-succumb-to-punjab-kings","title":{"rendered":"Irfan Pathan Slams Hardik\u2019s Captaincy as MI Succumb to Punjab Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has delivered a sharp assessment of Hardik Pandya\u2019s captaincy after Mumbai Indians fell to Punjab Kings in an IPL 2026 encounter on Friday. Although Quinton de Kock struck a superb century for MI, a lacklustre bowling display allowed Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer to steer PBKS to the win. The result extended Mumbai\u2019s slide to a fourth defeat in five matches, leaving them placed ninth in the points table. Pathan also criticised Hardik\u2019s recent form, highlighting his low impact with bat and his struggles under pressure.<\/p>\n<h2>Pathan\u2019s verdict on Hardik\u2019s captaincy and form<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan said Hardik\u2019s current run of performances has raised concerns, and insisted the MI leader must handle match situations more effectively. He pointed to Hardik\u2019s batting output since 2024 and also argued that improvements are needed in the bowling phase, particularly during the powerplay.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pathan said it is \u201cabout managing things\u201d better, adding that Hardik\u2019s batting average since 2024 has been in the early 20s.<\/li>\n<li>He argued that expectations must be higher, and urged Hardik to do better in the powerplay when bowling too.<\/li>\n<li>Pathan noted that the match became easier for PBKS at key moments when Allah Ghazanfar took wickets, implying Hardik\u2019s side failed to control pressure periods.<\/li>\n<li>He also said Hardik appears \u201cvery worried\u201d when the game tightens, according to his assessment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Concerns over MI\u2019s bowling unit<\/h2>\n<p>Pathan further targeted Mumbai\u2019s bowling group, suggesting they need to include a \u201cproper wicket-taker\u201d rather than relying on bowlers who are struggling to make breakthroughs. He singled out Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar for failing to contain runs and emphasised that Jasprit Bumrah has yet to register a wicket in the competition this year.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pathan said Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya are all-rounders, but Deepak Chahar is not taking wickets.<\/li>\n<li>He argued that with only two bowlers effectively available, the side faces difficulty in taking wickets consistently.<\/li>\n<li>He stressed that Mumbai must improve their bowling unit and ensure they play a bowler who can consistently take wickets.<\/li>\n<li>While Shardul and Deepak have \u201cstruggled massively\u201d to keep runs down, Pathan pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah has not taken a single wicket in IPL 2026 so far.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Hardik\u2019s response after MI\u2019s fourth straight defeat<\/h2>\n<p>Hardik Pandya did not soften his stance after Mumbai Indians crashed to their fourth consecutive loss in IPL 2026. He warned about the danger of taking \u201cdifficult calls\u201d in the wrong way, and called on his teammates to take responsibility\u2014\u201cownership\u201d\u2014for the team\u2019s poor displays.<\/p>\n<p>In their latest setback, the five-time champions lost to Punjab Kings by seven wickets and slipped to ninth place with only two points.<\/p>\n<p>After the defeat, Hardik said: \u201cTo be very honest, I don\u2019t have much to say right now. I think we really need to go back on the drawing board and see where are we lacking. Is it individuals? Is it as a group? Is it planning? We\u2019ll just figure it out and see what we can do next.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has delivered a sharp assessment of Hardik Pandya\u2019s captaincy after Mumbai Indians fell to Punjab Kings in an IPL 2026&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Irfan Pathan Criticizes Hardik Captaincy in IPL 2026","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Irfan Pathan questions Hardik Pandya\u2019s IPL 2026 captaincy as Mumbai Indians lose to Punjab Kings, despite Quinton de Kock\u2019s century.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ 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