Mumbai Indians' poor performance in IPL 2026 has invited massive criticism for their skipper Hardik Pandya. The five-time champions sit second from the bottom of the points table with just one win out of five matches. Their latest defeat to Punjab Kings at the Wankhede stadium saw them lose the match by seven wickets, their fourth loss in a row. Questions have been raised over Hardik's captaincy and his on-field decision making, and former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has even went ahead and stated that Hardik should step down and give the responsibility back to Rohit Sharma. On Cricbuzz, Tiwary was quoted saying that it’s not only the present season but also the mistakes that had happened in previous years were the problem. Tiwary said: "From where will ownership come? One has to look at oneself as well. You need to see how you have been playing. According to me, just because you are not having success this year doesn't mean the mistakes happened only this year. You need to look at the root cause as well. From 2015-2023, Rohit Sharma helped the Mumbai Indians win several trophies." Also Read | Watch: 'Are You F***ing Kidding Me?' Hardik Pandya Loses Cool at Fan in MI vs PBKS Calls Grow for Rohit Sharma to Lead Again Tiwary was unabashed as he slammed Hardik’s captaincy and called for change: he noted that the team had 5 IPL titles under Rohit Sharma, so removing him from captaincy was a mistake; and when it said he questioned Hardik: He added: "In 2023, there was no trophy. In 2024, there was no trophy, and the chances of the same happening are high this year too. I think the captaincy is weak. I don't want to be harsh. But Hardik is not leading the team the way it should be. It's very important to be proactive as a captain. I think that if a solution is needed, Hardik should step back from the captaincy and hand the responsibility back to Rohit. When you removed Rohit, you did an injustice." Also questioned was Hardik’s tactic of batting himself ahead of Sherfane Rutherford, which he says, cost the team: He said: "Hardik shouldn't have promoted himself against the Punjab Kings. He scored 14 runs off 12 balls. Sherfane Rutherford just got five balls. If Rutherford had played as many balls, he would have hit 3-4 sixes. Hardik Pandya thought he could do it. Yes, he could have done it. You should have pushed Rutherford up. And secondly, there is no point in giving Jasprit Bumrah the second over when you are not giving him the first. Deepak Chahar just isn't able to swing the ball." As pressure mounts, Mumbai Indians must find a way to turn things around, if they have any hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.