Who could have thought that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would be able to defeat the Mumbai Indians (MI) by a 103-run margin, and that too at the Wankhede Stadium? For the entire MI community, the reality is brutally harsh. CSK won by 103 runs against their arch rivals, the Mumbai Indians, in the 33rd match of the ongoing IPL 2026 season.
Since the change in leadership, the 5-time IPL winners, MI, have yet to reclaim the throne. Under Hardik Pandya’s leadership, the team showed glimpses of brilliance, but not consistently. To win a long tournament like the Indian Premier League, teams need to perform consistently. The Mumbai Indians know the formula to become a successful team in the league.
Someone will have to take responsibility for the repeated failures. Fingers started to point towards the captain, Hardik Pandya. There are at least three reasons for which Hardik Pandya should be blamed. As the former skipper Rohit Sharma, under whose leadership the franchise claimed 5 titles in the past, the fans are urging the management to reconsider the captaincy role.
3 reasons why Hardik Pandya should step down from the MI captaincy role:
Mumbai Indians’ results in the past seasons under the leadership of Hardik Pandya:
As the leader of the team, he is yet to be convinced about his leadership skills with the Mumbai Indians. Since he has been playing for the franchise as their captain, the team has been performing without maintaining a streamlined performance.
If we look at the results of the team, season by season, after Pandya’s arrival as the team leader, the picture will be clear. Pandya was officially announced as the Mumbai Indians (MI) captain on December 15, 2023, ahead of the IPL 2024 season.
MI’s season-by-season results under the captaincy of Pandya:
IPL 2024: Tenth (M: 14, W4 W% 28.5)
IPL 2025: Third (M: 16, W9 W% 56.2%)
IPL 2026: This season, the way they are performing, the play-off looks very far.
Tactical inconsistency under pressure:
As the Mumbai Indians are one of the most successful teams in the league, captaining the team is not a very easy job to do.
Hardik is often criticized for his leadership decisions under pressure. There have been criticisms around inconsistent bowling changes, field placements, or reading match situations. As he is a proven talent and an experienced player in the league, expectations are always high around him.
Pandya’s individual performance in IPL 2026 so far:
Based on the current performance, Hardik Pandya becomes one of the week-links in the line-up. Tonight, when the team was gasping for a big innings to remain significant in the contest against the Chennai Super Kings, Pandya was dismissed for only 1 run.
Hardik Pandya has immensely failed with the bat for MI this season, and he has just scored 97 runs in 7 innings for the five-time champions. If MI fails to qualify this season, he will surely be under the radar.
Pandya’s batting stats in IPL 2026:
MI vs CSK: 1
MI vs GT: 15
MI vs PBKS: 14
MI vs RCB: 40
MI vs RR: 9
MI vs KKR: 18*
Read More: IPL Points Table 2026: Updated Standings, Orange Cap, Purple Cap After MI vs CSK Match 33
