‘Mumbai’s only issue is Hardik Pandya’s captaincy’: Former India opener slams MI skipper’s tactics in RCB defeat

Weather ePaper Today’s Paper Journalism of Courage Home ePaper India Cities UPSC Premium Entertainment Politics Sports World Explained Opinion Business Lifestyle Tech Subscribe Sign In TrendingCricketIPL 2026Live ScoreIPL 2026 Points TableSRH vs RR Live Score Advertisement function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript() { if (window.jQuery) { // jQuery is loaded, include your script jQuery(document).ready(function($) { // Your existing script for checking window width if (window.innerWidth) var page_w = window.innerWidth; else if (document.all) var page_w = document.body.clientWidth; if (page_w > 1024) { $(".add-left, .add-right").show(); } else { $(".add-left, .add-right").hide(); } }); } else { // jQuery is not loaded, check again after 0.2 seconds setTimeout(checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript, 200); } } // Initial call to the function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript(); NewsSportsCricket'Mumbai's only issue is Hardik Pandya's captaincy': Former India opener slams MI skipper's tactics in RCB defeat ‘Mumbai’s only issue is Hardik Pandya’s captaincy’: Former India opener slams MI skipper’s tactics in RCB defeat IPL 2026: With three defeats in a row, Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians are reeling in the eighth spot in the standings after four matches and a 22-run defeat to RCB. By: Sports Desk3 min readApr 14, 2026 09:05 AM IST IPL 2026: Hardik Pandya's captaincy has received heavy criticism following MI's defeat to RCB. (CREIMAS) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh minced no words as he squarely blamed Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya for his team’s IPL 2026 defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Ramesh criticised Pandya’s tactics in the eventual 22-run defeat and insisted that the all-rounder’s decision-making is currently the only glaring issue with the five-time champions, who have now lost three games in a row. “MI’s only issue is Hardik Pandya’s captaincy. Hardik, the player, is at the upper echelon but remains mediocre as captain. He made a huge error by using two overs of Bumrah in the power play. Yes, the other bowlers were getting smashed, so Hardik was desperate. But Bumrah bowled his second over in the sixth over of the innings and came back only in the 17th over. It means your best bowler wasn’t in the contest for 60 deliveries.” ALSO READ | Who has this IPL’s best bouncer? A RCB spinner who bowls at around 120 kph Sent to bat first, RCB put on a mammoth 240 for four in Mumbai, their highest-ever score against MI in the IPL. Ramesh also lambasted Pandya’s usage of spin from Mitchell Santner and Mayank Markande from both ends during the innings. While Santner conceded 24 off his first over, Markande leaked 40 runs in two overs. “The other big mistake Hardik made was bowling spinners at both ends in the seventh and eighth overs. Bowling spin at both ends is a cardinal sin at the Wankhede Stadium. He also gave Markande an over against a Patidar, who is already an excellent player and turns into a beast against spinners. How will you bowl a spinner against Patidar?” Ramesh also opined that Hardik appeared to be in a confused state while leading a heavily-experienced squad that includes former skipper Rohit Sharma and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. “Hardik Pandya seems to be in a confused state when captaining. He bowled a high full toss to Tim David and took a review. Even Suryakumar Yadav was shocked that he took the review. Then Hardik tried to reverse his decision on the review, but it had already gone up. It is also clearly visible that Rohit Sharma disagrees with many of the decisions Hardik Pandya makes,” said Ramesh “Even if MI had won this match, the captaincy errors were glaring enough that they can finish in the top four and win the title only if these are corrected. With the kind of team they have, Hardik Pandya doesn’t have to excel as captain. He just has to avoid making blatant mistakes. It’s unfathomable if MI doesn’t make the top four with this team.” Mumbai are currently placed eighth with two points from four games. Their only win came in the season opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.