Mumbai Indians Stars Accused Of Leaving Hardik Pandya Alone As IPL Crisis Deepens

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya with Rohit Sharma [Source: AP]

The Mumbai Indians lost to the Chennai Super Kings on May 2 at Chepauk. The defeat is the team’s third consecutive one and will sting the MI camp as it hurts their IPL 2026 campaign.

Hardik Pandya, the leader of the pack, has been bashed from left and right for the awful performances, and, as per former cricketer Manoj Tiwary, the rest of the unit is not ready to take the blame alongside him.

While a captain’s duty is to lead a team, it is also his/her responsibility to bear the blame when a team is suffering. Taking up this convo, Manoj Tiwary shared how alone Hardik Pandya would feel at this point.

Manoj Tiwary senses lack of support for Hardik Pandya in MI camp

The Mumbai Indians’ campaign is technically over, with very few permutations and combinations left to make them qualify for the playoffs. 

Doubling down on this scenario, speaking to Cricbuzz, Manoj Tiwary shared how the burden of the loss will be borne by Hardik Pandya alone.

"It was already over for me. When I sit here, I speak openly about what I see. Based on the cricket I've witnessed, a captain must win the confidence of every player; you have to be a leader. However, it feels like no one is standing with Hardik. The support he needs simply isn't there," Tiwary said.

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Although Tiwary critiqued Pandya’s ability to win every player’s confidence, he also blamed the fact that no other senior player has consistently contributed to help out Pandya during MI’s woeful campaign, where they have managed to win only 2 games out of the 9 matches.

Tiwary especially blamed Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, who haven’t lived up to their name in this IPL 2026.

"Yes, Hardik Pandya has a role, and in my opinion, he isn't playing well. But beyond that, the other players must take responsibility. For instance, Surya is not performing consistently on a daily basis, and Tilak hasn't maintained his form after one good match. With that kind of inconsistency from the squad, how can you produce results? It's very disappointing," he added.

Not The Mumbai Indians IPL Knows

Only Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock boast good averages from the top order, with Suryakumar Yadav having a woeful average of 12.00 from the five matches he has played at the top.

Naman Dhir has played three matches at the top and averages 34.00. Rohit Sharma has been injured but has been a solid performer for his team, with an average of 45.67 and a strike rate of 165.06.

However, none of this translates into the kind of match-winning players Hardik Pandya’s unit boasts. 

Jasprit Bumrah, one of the world’s best bowlers, has only scalped three wickets so far in this campaign from the nine innings he has played, while also being expensive at an economy rate of 8.61.

The only positive addition for the Mumbai Indians has been Allah Ghazanfar, who debuted for Mumbai this season and is also their highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets from 7 matches.

Ashwani Kumar too has impressed with his 6 wickets from just 3 matches. Despite that, Mumbai’s injury-marred season has seen Mitchell Santner sidelined, who was also a solid contributor in the lower order but had to leave the campaign because of a nasty shoulder injury.

End of Road for Hardik Pandya’s Men from IPL 2026?

Nevertheless, despite being one of the most decorated teams on paper, the Hardik Pandya-led unit will have to face the brutal reality of missing out on a playoff spot in IPL 2026.

Even if Mumbai Indians manage to win all five of their remaining games, table-toppers Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already won six matches, making qualification almost impossible for Mumbai.

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