R Ashwin has come to Hardik Pandya’s defence, arguing that Mumbai Indians’ disappointing IPL season cannot fairly be laid at their captain’s door.
A tough year for Hardik and Mumbai
Mumbai were among the first teams to be eliminated from the playoff race. Hardik has struggled as player and captain and has missed the last three matches with a back injury, adding to talk about his future with the five-time champions. His IPL 2026 numbers read 146 runs in eight innings at an average of 20.85 and a strike rate of 136.44, plus four wickets at an economy rate of 11.90.
Ashwin’s view
Appearing on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Ashwin said he would not review Hardik’s captaincy this year at all. In his words, the whole team failed to turn up, and asking one man to take the blame is too much. He pointed out that the bowling has leaked runs, with a 15-run over arriving whenever the team seemed to be settling, and acknowledged that Hardik has made some debatable calls.
The veteran spinner stressed that results shape how a captain looks, so credit should not be heaped on a captain in a good season or blame in a bad one.
Following Rohit Sharma
Ashwin also noted the pressure of replacing Rohit Sharma, an incumbent Indian white-ball captain with six IPL titles and a T20 World Cup win. With so much fan passion and scrutiny on social media, he said, Hardik needs a thick skin.
