Mumbai Indians\u2019 disappointing IPL 2026 run has prompted fresh debate inside the franchise, and former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has stepped in to shield captain Hardik Pandya from what he believes is an overly narrow blame. MI have managed only four wins from 12 matches this season and became the second side to be ruled out of the playoff race. Ashwin pointed out that Pandya\u2019s campaign has been affected by both form and injury, but argued it would be unfair to treat the captain as the single cause of the team\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t go back and reassess his captaincy this year at all. Honestly, when seasons like this happen, it\u2019s quite unfair to pin everything on the captain. No one has really fired. The team hasn\u2019t shown up as a unit, and for Hardik to take all the blame is\u2026 it\u2019s asking him to do a bit too much,\u201d Ashwin said.<\/p>\n
Ashwin also placed Pandya\u2019s return to MI in context, recalling that the captain came back to the franchise in 2024 after a standout period with Gujarat Titans. He noted that Pandya led GT to a title and later followed it with a runners-up finish, highlighting that the leadership qualities were clearly evident earlier in his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was there with Gujarat Titans. He had two fantastic seasons there\u2014one title and then a runners-up finish. So as a leader, he clearly did something right. When he returned to Mumbai Indians, he had to deal with a lot. It isn\u2019t easy to replace an established Indian white-ball captain like Rohit Sharma. He has five or six IPL titles, and he\u2019s won a T20 World Cup. Then Hardik comes in and takes over. You\u2019ve got a lot of fandom across the country. These days you need thick skin to handle what\u2019s flying around on social media,\u201d Ashwin added.<\/p>\n
Moving beyond leadership, Ashwin stressed that captaincy alone cannot explain a franchise\u2019s performance, saying bowling issues have also played a major role in MI\u2019s problems. He argued that even when overs start well, the innings can unravel quickly once the opposition begins scoring heavily.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t judge his captaincy too much because the bowling has leaked as well\u2014runs are coming from every direction. Every time an over goes for six or seven, then a 15-run over follows. So what can a captain do in that situation? And sure, there are calls he\u2019s made that have been debatable. But captaincy is shaped by how your team is presenting itself. That\u2019s why, when you have a good season, don\u2019t give the captain excessive credit. And when you have a bad season, don\u2019t put it all on him. The same thinking applies to the coach too\u2014because the coach sends the players out, so you can\u2019t blame him to the same extent either,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This season, Ashwin noted, Pandya\u2019s struggles have been hard to miss. Since resuming the captaincy in 2024, Pandya has not been able to deliver a trophy for MI. In IPL 2026, he contributed 146 runs across eight innings, striking at 136.44, with a top score of 40. With the ball, he managed only four wickets at an economy rate of 11.90, underlining the mixed nature of his individual output.<\/p>\n
Ashwin further raised concerns about Pandya\u2019s batting rhythm, describing it as unusual in terms of timing. He questioned whether the delays could be linked to a physical issue, pointing to the possibility of something affecting his execution without being able to confirm what it might be.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith his batting, I noticed something quite interesting and strange\u2014how late he\u2019s been on the ball. Is he going through something physically? We wouldn\u2019t know if there is something there, and if there is, maybe that physical part will bring him back. But he\u2019s been late on the hard-length deliveries,\u201d Ashwin said.<\/p>\n
He also suggested that Pandya is not typically the sort of player who would miss hard-length balls, adding that the pattern raises questions that need answers. Ashwin mentioned potential back or arm-related problems, including the possibility of a tennis elbow, and even wondered whether the bat setup could be contributing to the late contact.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not someone who\u2019s going to miss hard-length deliveries. He usually hits it deep\u2014around 15 rows back. So that\u2019s a concern for me: is he dealing with something physically from the back, from his hands, or does he have tennis elbow? Is his bat heavier than it should be? Does he need to recalibrate? Those are the kinds of things I\u2019d want to know,\u201d Ashwin added.<\/p>\n
MI\u2019s difficulties have not been limited to Pandya alone, with Ashwin pointing to other key performers also having modest seasons. He highlighted that Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have experienced similar struggles. Pandya has also been forced to miss matches due to a reported back issue, ruling him out of three games, while Suryakumar and Bumrah took over as stand-in captains during his absence.<\/p>\n
Despite the poor run, Ashwin insisted that Pandya remains a high-value player. He described Pandya as a rare talent and argued that the broader impact he has had on Indian T20 cricket should not be overlooked simply because MI are going through a difficult phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cHardik is a once-in-a-generation player. You don\u2019t find players like that. And if India is in a certain kind of T20 mastery now, Hardik has been a linchpin in that. For me, as a player, you can have a bad season\u2014that part is digestible, especially after you\u2019ve had a World Cup like that. Hardik likes a bit of space\u2014he stays in his own zone. So the only thing I\u2019d be concerned about is how late he\u2019s been on the ball when he\u2019s batting. Apart from that, it\u2019s okay. I wouldn\u2019t judge any other aspects of his game,\u201d the former India spinner concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mumbai Indians\u2019 disappointing IPL 2026 run has prompted fresh debate inside the franchise, and former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has stepped in to shield captain…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Ashwin Defends Hardik Pandya as IPL Captain, MI News","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Ravichandran Ashwin backs Hardik Pandya as IPL captain, rejecting blame claims as MI struggle continues\u2014injury and form blamed, not leadership.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n