Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin recently criticized the captaincy of Hardik Pandya after the IPL 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI). Ashwin questioned the bowling decision made by the Mumbai Indians captain against Rajat Patidar, calling it very average.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated the Mumbai Indians by 18 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12. Patidar led the defending champions to their third win of the ongoing season. The middle-order batter contributed significantly by smashing a blistering 17-ball half-century to help post a massive total.
Rajat Patidar Was Hitting Markande Into Every Corner – Ravichandran Ashwin
Hardik Pandya surprisingly brought wrist spinner Mayank Markande back into the attack in the 12th over. Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar quickly took advantage of this move. Ravichandran Ashwin recalled a previous match in Hyderabad where Patidar showed his strength against spin.
“This SRH vs RCB 2024 game was where Rajat Patidar announced that he is a spin hitter. He was hitting Markande into every corner,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also pointed out similarities between the two overs. He noted that Virat Kohli took a single on the first ball, allowing Patidar to continue attacking the spinner in a similar way.
“There are some common things between these two big overs. The first ball was taken by Virat Kohli, he took a single, and everything else was the same. There he hit four sixes, here he hit three,” he added.
Rajat Patidar Is a Monster Hitter Against Spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin Slams Hardik Pandya’s Strategy
Mayank Markande conceded 20 runs in that 12th over, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru reached 144 for one. Ravichandran Ashwin said that giving the ball to Markande made no tactical sense and added that the decision by Hardik Pandya made the key difference in the final totals.
“Rajat Patidar is a monster hitter against spinner, and when he came into bat, you gave the ball straight to Mayank Markande. We have to understand what is going on in Markande’s mind,” Ashwin stated.
“He had beaten him to a pulp in Hyderabad, and when Patidar came in, he was given the ball straightaway. Very very very very average, My head started spinning. This was the difference between 210 and 240. MI’s spinners gave 80 runs in six overs.”
Rajat Patidar Powers RCB With Blazing Knock As MI Fall Short
Rajat Patidar scored consecutive half-centuries in the season. He added 53 runs off 20 balls, hitting five sixes and finishing with a strike rate of 265. Mayank Markande had a poor outing and failed to take a wicket this season. Phil Salt and Tim David also made key contributions to boost the total.
Despite the high-scoring nature of the match, Virat Kohli struggled to match the aggressive tempo set by his teammates. He scored 50 runs from 38 deliveries at a strike rate of 131.58 before eventually getting out to Hardik Pandya at the deep boundary.
The Mumbai Indians failed to chase the massive target. Their last title came in 2020 in the UAE, and since then, they have managed to qualify for the playoffs only twice.
Also read: Virat Kohli injury update: RCB star to miss remainder of IPL 2026?
