Mumbai Indians are having a terrible IPL 2026 season. The five-time champions lost to Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on April 16, their fourth defeat in five matches. Punjab chased down 196 in just 16.3 overs, winning by seven wickets. MI now sit second from the bottom of the table, with their only win coming against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29.

While the batting had bright spots like Quinton de Kock’s century and Naman Dhir’s fifty, it wasn’t enough. Jasprit Bumrah, the biggest weapon in MI’s arsenal, went wicketless and conceded 41 runs in four overs.

Hardik scored just 14 off 12 balls and gave away 39 runs in three overs with the ball.

Fingers point at Pandya

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary was blunt in his assessment. He said MI’s problems did not start this season and called on Hardik to hand the captaincy back to Rohit Sharma. “In 2023, there was no trophy. In 2024, there was no trophy, and the chances of the same happening are high this year too. Hardik is not leading the team the way it should be,” Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.

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Tiwary also questioned Hardik’s decisions during the PBKS game, particularly his choice to bat himself ahead of the in-form Sherfane Rutherford, who got just five balls, and his call to open the bowling with a struggling Deepak Chahar instead of Bumrah.

A viral video from the match showed Bumrah visibly unhappy on the field, hinting at tension in the camp. At one point in the game, Hardik was insistent on setting the field according to his strategy, which Bumrah was visibly not happy about. Yet, the star bowler went on with his captain’s decision.

In the post match discussion, Hardik offered no firm answers after the loss: “To be very honest, I have nothing to say at the moment. We need to go back to the drawing board and see what we are lacking. Is it individuals? Is it as a group? Is it planning? We will sit and figure it out soon and then we will see what we can do next.”

“We really need to see whether we need to take some bold calls or hope to turn things around with the same group. There are some hard questions which we need to answer and yeah, ownership has to be taken,” he said.

Management backs the team

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene defended Hardik and spread the blame across the squad.

“I don’t think it’s just on Hardik. When we’re not doing well, it’s on me and everyone involved in the management,” he said, adding that opponents had simply been better and more clinical.

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Meanwhile, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been increasinglt vocal about his opinions about the game, pointed to fatigue as a possible factor. “I am now feeling that the fatigue after the T20 World Cup might be taking a toll for Mumbai Indians.

Previously they used to get outplayed, but now it looks like they have no answers with the ball,” he said on his YouTube channel.

No room for more slip-ups

MI are running out of time. With the playoffs requiring a top-four finish, they can afford very few more losses. Their next game against Gujarat Titans on Monday, April 20, is effectively a must-win. A defeat there would put their playoff hopes in serious danger — and pile even more pressure on Hardik Pandya.