'He is a plastic captain': Kris Srikkanth openly questions Hardik Pandya's intent after MI lost to CSK IPL 2026

During the high-stakes IPL 2026 encounter between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on May 3, former India selector Kris Srikkanth did not hold back in his assessment of Hardik Pandya’s performance. Srikkanth harshly labeled the MI skipper a 'plastic captain', openly questioning his intent and leadership after a sluggish batting display that shifted the momentum of the game.

Kris Srikkanth not happy with Hardik Pandya's captaincy

The criticism centered on a pivotal moment in the match when Pandya walked out to bat at No. 6. Despite joining a well-set Naman Dhir following the dismissal of Tilak Varma, the captain failed to find any rhythm. He labored to 18 runs off 23 deliveries, a knock that included a staggering 10 dot balls. This lack of urgency caused the Mumbai Indians' scoring rate to plummet, as they crawled from 109 for four in the 13th over to a modest total of 159 for seven.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, a visibly shocked Srikkanth interrogated Pandya's strategy, wondering what the all-rounder was trying to achieve while the game slipped away. With only two boundaries to his name before being dismissed in the final over, Pandya’s inability to accelerate proved costly. Chennai Super Kings took full advantage of the subpar target, comfortably chasing it down to secure an eight-wicket victory.

"Look at the numbers — 18 runs off 23 balls. What is this? He is a plastic captain. Look at that partnership — what was the intent? What was Hardik Pandya trying to do? If you check the number of dot balls in the middle overs, it’s clear there was no proper calculation or game awareness. The run-rate dropped very drastically during that phase," Srikkanth said on his Youtube channel.

"From around the 6th or 7th over, they started at about 9 runs per over, but then it went down — 7, 7, one over of 13, then 10, then 6. After that, 5, 4, 3, 7, 4 that’s where they lost it completely between overs 12 to 16. Even towards the end, it was just 7 runs and 4 runs while Hardik was still batting. Honestly, I couldn’t understand what they were trying to do. What was the plan?," he added.

ALSO READ: EXPLAINED: How can MI still qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs despite 8-wicket thrashing against CSK

MI on verge of elimination

After suffering a heavy defeat to CSK, MI's campaign is all but over. In a total of nine matches, MI have won just two of them. The Paltans are reeling at the ninth spot in the IPL 2026 points table and will next face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 4 at the Wankhede stadium.