Who would have thought that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would be able to defeat Mumbai Indians (MI) by a margin of 103 runs, and that too at the Wankhede Stadium? For the entire MI community, the reality is extremely harsh. CSK won by 103 runs against their arch rivals Mumbai Indians in 33 overs.third Match of the ongoing IPL 2026 season.
Since the leadership change, 5-time IPL winners, MI are yet to regain the throne. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, the team performed brilliantly, but not consistently. To win a long tournament like the Indian Premier League, teams will have to perform consistently. Mumbai knows the formula to become a successful team in the Indian League.
Someone will have to take responsibility for the repeated failures. Fingers started pointing towards captain Hardik Pandya. There are at least three reasons for which Hardik Pandya should be blamed. As for former captain Rohit Sharma, under whose leadership the franchise won 5 titles in the past, fans are urging the management to rethink the captaincy role.
3 reasons why Hardik Pandya should step down from MI captaincy:
Results of Mumbai Indians last season under Hardik Pandya:
As the team leader, he is still yet to convince about his leadership skills with Mumbai Indians. Ever since he has been playing for the franchise as their captain, the team has been performing well without maintaining a well-organized performance.
After Pandya’s arrival as the team leader, if we look at the results of the team season after season, the picture will become clear. Pandya was officially announced as the captain of Mumbai Indians (MI) on December 15, 2023, ahead of the IPL 2024 season.
Season-by-season results of MI under Pandya’s captaincy:
IPL 2024: 10th (M: 14, W4 W% 28.5)
IPL 2025: 3rd (M: 16, W9 W% 56.2%)
IPL 2026: The way they are performing this season, the playoffs seem far away.
Tactical inconsistency under pressure:
Since Mumbai is one of the most successful teams in the Indian League, captaining the team is not a very easy task.
Hardik is often criticized for taking leadership decisions under pressure. There have been criticisms regarding inconsistent bowling changes, field placement, or reading of match situations. Since he is a proven talent and experienced player in the league, expectations from him are always high.
Pandya’s individual performance so far in IPL 2026:
Based on the current performance, Hardik Pandya has become one of the weak-links in the line-up. Tonight, when the team was hoping for a big innings to remain crucial in the encounter against Chennai Super Kings, Pandya was out for just 1 run.
Hardik Pandya has been extremely unsuccessful with the bat for Mumbai this season and has scored just 97 runs in 7 innings for the five-time champions. If MI fails to qualify this season, he will definitely be under the radar.
Pandya’s batting statistics 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
