Mumbai Indians are going through a rough patch in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, with their fourth straight defeat raising serious concerns for the five-time champions. The latest loss came against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, where last edition's finalists defeated them by seven wickets, leaving them unbeaten in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league.
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has openly criticised captain Hardik Pandya, especially after MI’s recent struggles. He also questioned some of Pandya’s comments after the match, suggesting that the skipper may have indirectly blamed senior players like Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma for the team’s poor performance.
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After the defeat, Pandya admitted that the team needs to rethink their approach and take responsibility for their mistakes.
“There’s not much to say right now. We need to go back to the drawing board and figure out where we’re lacking—whether it’s individuals, the team as a whole, or our planning. Those are the questions we need to answer moving forward. This isn’t just about moving on quickly. We need to assess honestly, whether we stick with the current approach or make some tough decisions. Accountability is important, and we need to take ownership if we want to turn things around,” Pandya had said after the match in Mumbai.
Hardik Pandya's body language questioned
Tiwary, however, felt the comments hinted at finger-pointing within the team rather than taking collective responsibility.
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“According to his statements, it felt like he was targeting the established Indian players. It could be Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma, who are not among the runs. I don’t know whom he was referring to, because his reaction and body language, did not seem right to me. We even saw the owner on the ground, and he looked angry. Overall, after seeing all of this, we can assume and guess that something is not right,” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
Why Rohit Sharma should start leading MI again?
He also added that the bigger issue is not just about this season, but the way things have been building over time. He pointed out that under former captain Rohit Sharma, MI enjoyed a highly successful period from 2015 to 2023, winning multiple titles.
Tiwary said that if the team is looking for a solution, they may need to rethink the leadership role.
“If they want a solution for this, then Hardik Pandya should take a break from captaincy, and Rohit Sharma should be brought back in, and given that responsibility. When Rohit Sharma was removed as captain, it was an injustice. The expectation was that Hardik Pandya would deliver a trophy, but the way things are going, it does not seem that he will be able to do that,” he added.