Amid Mumbai Indians' (MI) horrible campaign in the ongoing IPL 2026 season, former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has fired shots at skipper Hardik Pandya for not justifying his job as a captain for the franchise.
Sadagoppan Ramesh slams Hardik Pandya's leadership
In an interaction with Star Sports, the former India player blamed the star all-rounder for MI's recent struggles in the tournament, as he wants to stay behind and let others control the situation which is a very example.
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"He wants to stay behind and let others fix the problems. The players in a team are very clever. They'll know if a captain is actually leading them from the front or hiding behind. If you stay behind as a captain, the players will never give it their all for you," said Sadagoppan Ramesh.
He further added that having a failure as a player is fine, but as a captain Hardik is not doing justice with the team, as he is not leading from the front in crunch situations.
"It's one thing to fail as a player, but Hardik as a captain is not stepping up in crises. Instead, he sends different people to right the wrong before coming himself. You are defending only 160, and you come into bowl after 85 runs have been scored. This is a guy who won India the World Cup under Rohit by bowling the crucial overs. Rohit used Hardik beautifully in crises. Hardik himself used to do it for GT, but for MI, he isn't doing it," added Sadagoppan Ramesh.
Former Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper is going through a tough time both as a player and a captain, as the star India all-rounder has gathered only 146 runs in IPL 2026 at an average of 21 with a strike rate of 136.44. The story remains the same with the ball, as he clinched only four wickets in the tournament in eight outings, which is very disappointing as compared to his standards.
MI's flop performance in IPL 2026
MI stand at the ninth place with only four points in hand after playing nine matches (two wins and seven losses) at a net run rate of -0.803. Meanwhile, LSG reeling at the bottom of the table with four points in hand after playing eight games (two wins and six defeats) at a net run rate of -1.106.
Big update on Rohit Sharma's return in IPL 2026
Mumbai Indians' (MI) playoffs are almost slim to none but their star opener Rohit Sharma is still uncertain for the next clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Wankhede Stadium. Hours ahead of the game, as per a report by Cricbuzz, MI team management has left the decision with the former skipper whether he wants to take the field at Wankhede Stadium on May 4 or not.
On the eve of the game, Rohit had batted for almost an hour. He also went through fitness drills. It is likely that if Rohit plays, he is likely to play in impact player role.
Rohit hasn't played a game since he got retired hurt due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the run chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 12 in a home clash. From four innings, he has scored 137 runs at an average of 45.66 and strike rate of 165.06. He started MI's campaign with a 78-run knock against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a successful run chase.