Former Pakistani cricketers Kamran Akmal and Basit Ali shamed the Mumbai Indians management for their poor performances and even considered removing Hardik Pandya from the captaincy.
Mumbai Indians are five-time champions in the history of the IPL, yet their struggles over the past few seasons have been significantly watched by cricket fans around the world. The MI team won its last title in 2020 and since then it has failed to reach the final.
Mumbai is currently 8th in the points table and has won only 2 out of its seven matches in the season. They have lost five matches this season and most of them at their home ground.
Basit Ali backs Mumbai Indians to return to great form during IPL 2026
Mumbai Indians’ ups and downs campaign continues in this season of IPL. After winning the first match, they broke their decade-long misfortune since 2012, but then lost four consecutive matches. They then defeated Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad for the first time since the team’s inception in 2022.
Former Pakistani player Basit Ali claimed that MI are now on the path to defeat; They will bounce back and improve their position in the points table. Basit Ali made a funny claim on YouTube channel ‘The Game Plan’.
He claimed, “Mrs Ambani jab unke bacheh ko gussa ayega na tab danda denge bhai chalo ab jeetho match ab out nehi hona sow karo sow, (The sons of Mrs Ambani when they punish them and ask to win matches and score centuries).”
Kamran Akmal blames Hardik Pandya for MI’s misfortune in IPL
In the same show, the country’s other former star cricketer Kamran Akmal questioned why Mumbai Indians did not consider removing Hardik Pandya from the captaincy role.
Kamran Akmal said, “I don’t understand when Mumbai will remove Hardik from the captaincy. They are at the bottom of the table. I think Hardik should just play as a player.”
Akmal said, “Look at the performance of MI. Look at the performance of Hardik Pandya himself. He is an all-rounder and one of the best players. If you remove the burden of captaincy from him, his batting and bowling will improve.”
Can MI bounce back from 8th position in IPL 2026?
Mumbai Indians are far behind in the points table with only 4 points after 7 matches this season. To qualify any team needs to secure a minimum of 14 to 16 points depending on the performance of its opponent.
The Hardik Pandya-led team is halfway through the journey and needs to win almost every one of its remaining matches. MI will have to win at least 6 out of 7 matches to confirm their place in the top 4.
However, according to statistical data, MI has managed to qualify for the playoffs in 2023 and 2025 but failed to reach the playoffs in 2022 and 2024, so a similar result could complete the hat-trick for them in 2026.
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