Former India Selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth from India has expressed strong disapproval of Hardik Pandya's skills as IPL 2026 leader. The Mumbai Indians team sits in ninth position on the points table which effectively ends their playoff chances. Srikkanth expressed his Disapproval of Hardik's actions throughout the entire year. His comments followed the Mumbai Indians defeat against the Chennai Super Kings during their match in Chennai. Batting and Captaincy Under Question Hardik Pandya decided to bat first after winning the toss in that match. The decision did not work in his favour. The Mumbai Indians started well but their middle order batsman failed to sustain their progress. Hardik struggled to perform at the batting spot. He scored just 18 runs from 23 balls which delayed the team's progress. The Mumbai Indians finished their innings with a score of 159 for 7 after 20 overs which proved insufficient. Chennai Super Kings successfully pursued the target to achieve victory by eight wickets. The chase became easier due to Ruturaj Gaikwad and Kartik Sharma scoring half-centuries. Hardik performed poorly in both batting and bowling which resulted in his weak performance. Also Read | IPL 2026: Can SRH Still Reach Top Two After KKR Loss? Explained “He is a plastic captain” – Srikkanth Through his YouTube channel Srikkanth expressed doubts about Hardik's ability to effectively manage middle overs while playing. Srikkanth said: "Look at the numbers — 18 runs off 23 balls. What is this? He is a plastic captain. Look at that partnership — what was the intent? What was Hardik Pandya trying to do? If you check the number of dot balls in the middle overs, it’s clear there was no proper calculation or game awareness. The run-rate dropped very drastically during that phase." He Added: "From around the 6th or 7th over, they started at about 9 runs per over, but then it went down — 7, 7, one over of 13, then 10, then 6. After that, 5, 4, 3, 7, 4 that’s where they lost it completely between overs 12 to 16. Even towards the end, it was just 7 runs and 4 runs while Hardik was still batting. Honestly, I couldn’t understand what they were trying to do. What was the plan?" Srikkanth described how bowlers now understand the correct method to deliver their balls to Hardik while preventing him from achieving simple scoring opportunities. He Further said: "They won't bowl in the slot again. They will lock him down. They knew if they bowl length, he will smash them. So, they won't bowl there." Mumbai Indians Struggling as a Team Hardik Pandya leads the group of players who experience difficulty. The Mumbai Indians have multiple key players who performed poorly during the current season. Players such as Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav along with Tilak Varma have not delivered their expected performance. The team faces additional challenges because Rohit Sharma currently remains inactive due to his injury. His performance statistics reveal that Hardik struggles in his current state. He has scored 146 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of 136 and an average of 20. His highest score is 40. He has taken 4 wickets but his bowling economy rate approaches 12. The Mumbai Indians will play against the Lucknow Super Giants on May 4 during their upcoming match. The team aims to conclude the season with improved performance even though their playoff prospects appear slim.