All posts tagged: Hardik Pandya captain

Hardik Pandya’s MI captaincy safe despite IPL 2026 struggles | Cricket News

Hardik Pandya’s MI captaincy safe despite IPL 2026 struggles | Cricket News

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2 min readMay 5, 2026 11:08 AM IST Despite a disappointing IPL 2026 that has left the Mumbai Indians (MI) ninth on the points table, Hardik Pandya’s position as captain is not under immediate threat. The Indian Express has learnt that the franchise management continues to back Pandya and does not see the team’s struggles as a reflection of his leadership. Instead, they believe MI have been slow to adapt to the evolving style of play in the tournament. This season, several teams have relied on explosive starts from their openers and bowlers who can make an impact in the powerplay as well as at the death. MI, however, have not been able to consistently match that template, which has put them under pressure in both innings. Pandya, who was brought in from the Gujarat Titans in a high-profile move ahead of IPL 2024, has had a modest season so far. He has scored 146 runs in eight matches and picked up four wickets. He has also missed two games, against Delhi Capitals and Lucknow …

Hardik Pandya’s captaincy style is ego-driven….almost like MS (Dhoni), says AB de Villiers | Ipl News

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Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has beared the brunt of his team’s below-par performance this season. The five-time champions became the first team to be knocked out of playoffs contention on Wednesday. Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter AB de Villiers reckons the reason behind MI’s poor show might be down to the captaincy style of Pandya, something that might not relate well with the experienced players in the dressing room. “The captaincy style of Hardik Pandya is quite bravado. It’s ego-driven in a way, chest out,” de Villiers said in a recent video on his YouTube channel. “I don’t think how he walks on the field is always genuine, but he has decided that is his way of captaincy. Almost like MS. Cool, calm, collective, always got your chest out. But when you play with a lot of experienced players, guys who have been around for ages… They don’t buy into that. It worked at GT, where it was a younger team. Sometimes, inexperienced players love to follow that kind of leadership.” Pandya’s captaincy has …

Mumbai Indians seniors question team functioning under Hardik Pandya | Ipl News

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SENIOR MEMBERS of the struggling Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians have questioned the functioning of the team under captain Hardik Pandya. Languishing in 9th spot in the 10-team competition, MI’s decision to remove Rohit Sharma, the present India skipper who has led the franchise to five IPL titles, hasn’t been a popular one with Hardik getting repeatedly booed by fans on match days at the start of the season. The Indian Express understands that MI’s key players recently conveyed to the coaching staff that there was a lack of buzz in the dressing room and the reason was Hardik’s leadership style. Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya during the IPL 2024 cricket match against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (PTI Photo) An MI official said this wasn’t a leadership crisis but more of a sign that a team that was used to Rohit’s captaincy for the last 10 years was still coming to terms with the change of guard. “These are regular teething problems for a team that sees leadership change. …

Hardik Pandya looks really drained and is feeling the pressure: Aaron Finch | Ipl News

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Former Australia captain Aaron Finch says the Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is looking “drained” and looks under “immense pressure” after Mumbai Indians 24-run loss against Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium on Friday. Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians are all but out from the playoffs race and are lying at ninth at the points table. “You would expect them to chase 170 with the dew falling at the Wankhede stadium. It’s a beautiful place to bat generally. Yes it was a bit uncharacteristic in the way it turned a bit more and a bit more two paced than what we have seen in the past,” Finch said on Hardik Pandya. Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya during the IPL 2024 cricket match against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (PTI Photo) Hardik Pandya has had a below par IPL both with the bat and ball. he has managed only 198 runs with the bat and has picked up only eight wickets with an economy rate of 11. “He just looks really flattered at …

‘I felt Hardik did not want to face Rashid’: Irfan Pathan blames Pandya’s poor captaincy for Mumbai Indians loss | Cricket News

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Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has made a scathing attack on Mumbai Indians’ newly-appointed captain Hardik Pandya after their loss against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Former India all-rounder says not giving the new ball to Jasprit Bumrah and promoting Tim David ahead of him were the two blunders Hardik Pandya made on his captaincy debut for Mumbai Indians. No Bumrah with the new ball Hardik Pandya bowled two overs up front with the new ball and the Mumbai Indians captain gave away 20 runs from his first two overs. “Hardik Pandya made big mistakes in the match. In the powerplay, he bowled 2 overs himself, that was a big mistake. He brought Jasprit Bumrah into the attack a bit late,” Irfan Pathan said. Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Gujarat Titans’ David Miller during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, at Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad. (PTI) Bumrah was brought into the attack in the fourth over …

‘So many things wrong with this’: Rohit Sharma’s wife reacts to Mumbai Indians coach’s captaincy explanation | Cricket News

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After Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher explained in a podcast why the franchise had decided to elevate Hardik Pandya to team captaincy over longtime skipper Hardik Pandya, a cryptic comment from Rohit’s wife Ritika Sajdeh on Instagram has emerged. Ritika was responding to a clip on Instagram of Boucher offering his explanation for why the think tank chose to replace Rohit with Pandya, who was with the Gujarat Titans for two seasons where he led them to a IPL title in the first season and to the final in the second year. Pandya was an integral part of the Mumbai franchise for four of its five titles between 2015 and 2021. “So many things wrong with this,” wrote Ritika as a comment to the clip. In the clip, Boucher tells Smash Sports podcast: “I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me it’s a transition phase. A lot of people don’t understand in India, people get quite emotional. But you know you …